Endless Waltz v1 - Galvanize the Guilty
by NKfloofiepoof
Summary: Six of the Robot Masters are not what they seem. They've grown tired of this war and are determined to finally end it, and nothing will stop them short of death - not even the First Law. Rated for language and the SLIGHTEST bit of shounen-ai.
1. Introduction - An Entry From a Kaiser's ...

**A/N**: Okay, this is my major project next to _Electrical Communication_...and I mean major. 7 parts, 7-9 chapters each, each part in a different Robot Master's POV... @@;; I've been told it's good, but I'm not convinced. oO;; I think it's crap -- just like I think everything I write is crap. Anyway, this is the first part. And it's almost finished. Just has 2 more chapters to go. And unfortunately, FF.net doesn't allow font colors anymore, so you'll have to make do with different symbols where the colors were supposed to be. ;;; The easier-to-read (in my opinion) version with different colors instead of symbols is on my homepage. At any rate, let me know what you think. @@;; This is my baby...my very first venture into the Robot Master world and where I developed my love for them.

_ They call themselves _Robot Masters_...HA! They don't know the half of it. They're just toys, mindless drones like those in a beehive who can't do a single thing for themselves. They don't know anything except how to obey. They only know how to take the orders of Dr. Wily. _Robot Masters_...the king of oxymorons._

But six of us...oh, no. Six of us are more than those mindless drones. We are like that pathetic excuse of a robot, Rockman. We can think for ourselves. We can make our own choices. We don't have to obey Wily; and we don't unless we're interested in the job. He doesn't know what we are. We are accidents in creation. Even Dr. Light does not know what we are.

We are the Kaisers.

We, the Kaisers, are like Rockman; we are alive. We can breathe, think for ourselves, feel pain and other emotions, and sleep. With this comes the ability to control the other so-called Robot Masters_. However, I seem to be the only one who can control _all_ of them -- or nearly all. The newer the army, the harder it is to control them. And forget about controlling the other Kaisers. They can only control those in their own army -- the fourth Kaiser can only control the fourth army, the sixth can only control the sixth, and so forth. But I can control almost all of them._

I never did figure out how or why the Kaisers stopped surfacing after the sixth army was created. Nonetheless, seven would probably be too great a number of us running around. The six of us get along quite well, though...

The rookie, the Kaiser of the sixth army, and also the weakest Kaiser so far is Centaur Man. Brave, noble Centaur Man...he considers the other five of us his "herd". He would do anything to help us and would take missions that aren't really meant for his agile build if one of us does not feel up to the mission or would rather not obey Wily. Poor, loyal Centaur Man...when will you see that your compassion is your weakness?

The Kaiser of the fifth army is Crystal Man. Most believe he is too odd to be of any use whatsoever to Wily's forces. In reality, his concept of life is perfect for a Kaiser. I'm surprised that it took this long for me to realize it and adapt to it. He is like a gypsy, interested in tarot cards, incense, astrology, runes, and will not stop at anything until he learns how to read the future in a crystal ball. I look up to him for his mellow outlook on life.

From the fourth army came the Kaiser, Ring Man. He is a thief, an illusionist, and a salesman all rolled up into one, strong robot. The combination proves to be rather annoying sometimes, but he is good at his professions. His illusions have often confused even the brightest of robots such as Rockman and Blues. A competent fighter and a master illusionist, but not a very strong Kaiser. He can barely control his own army when necessary.

The third army came with the Kaiser, Magnet Man. A ruthless, sometimes trigger-happy fighter and one of the stronger Kaisers simply because his fighting style is, indeed, so brutal. He never looks before he leaps, however, which is a downfall to such a skilled warrior. Quiet and always one to hold a grudge, I'm never quite sure whether he should be considered the third strongest of us or not.

The Kaiser of the second army is Metal Man. Ah, Metal Man...the second strongest of us. Ruthless to a point and also loyal, but not to the ridiculous point of Centaur Man's exhibition. Metal Man can control almost all of the Robot Masters_, but does not control them to the point of complete domination. He only controls them when he sees it is necessary. I look up to him like I have never looked up to anyone before. He's strategic, powerful, and a very competent warrior. The only downfall is his weakness to his own weapon. How...ironic..._

And I am the Kaiser from the first army, the Kaiser of all of the Robot Masters_, and I pride myself with the knowledge that I am the _only_ Kaiser who can even remotely control Forte..._

I am Elec Man.

I have been a Kaiser ever since Dr. Light first created me. Since before Dr. Wily reprogrammed me. And I always will be a Kaiser. But I can't help but wonder when my control will end. The tenth or eleventh army perhaps? The eighth is already so unruly and hard to maintain control over...

No matter. The time is coming to create a mutiny against Dr. Wily; I have seven armies under my control; forty-nine Robot Masters_ and five other Kaisers to back me up. And, unlike the others, we -- the Kaisers -- don't have that pathetic loyalty to Wily. We can kill him in a heartbeat. And with forty-nine robots at our command..._

Dr. Wily will stand the same chance as a snowball in Hell, and I can return to my true home...

However...enough with my rambling. I have started this to recall upon my "meeting" with the other Kaisers. This may be the only way I can tell Dr. Light what really happened and I want him to know that not all of us were fully under Dr. Wily's control and that not all of us believed in his cause just in case our mutiny doesn't go as I hope it will.

How morbid.


	2. v1.0 - Prologue

v1.x

Elec Man.

Yes, that was his name...right?

He stared up at the ceiling of the room, silent and confused. No one was here, no one was at the computers, and he was the only one awake. A brief diagnostic check told him that he had not been given the code to be activated yet.

So why was he wide awake?

After at least ten minutes according to his internal clock, Elec Man sat up, gazing around the room he was in. Seven other tables lined the room, each with an unactivated robot lying down. Elec Man blinked and climbed down from his own table, walking around the room and surveying each of the other robots.

On the table beside him lay a grey and red robot, obviously male. It bore a helmet with a torch-like top. _007...Fire Man..._ the back of Elec Man's mind provided, _Waste disposal robot_. Why someone would need a walking candlestick for waste disposal, Elec Man did not know.

Next to Fire Man lay a rather rotund, red, yellow, and black robot. _006...Bomb Man...ground disruption._ Why not just put dynamite in the ground? Next to Bomb Man was a very small robot, almost childish in appearance, wearing a blue and white parka. _005...Ice Man...arctic exploration._ Possibly the best excuse for building a robot so far.

004, Guts Man, was stuck on the floor thanks to his enormous -- and probably rather overdone, in Elec Man's opinion -- size. _Wilderness reclamation...why in the world would he have to be this big?_

Across the room was 003, Cut Man, a small, red and white robot with a large set of shears on his head. _Timber feller? Isn't that what chainsaws are for?_

002 and 001 were not in the room, having most likely been activated much earlier, perhaps before he and the five others were even constructed. He, Elec Man, was 008, built for atomic energy control.

"Who's in here?" came a voice at the door behind him just before the lights flared to life, making Elec Man cringe, and shade his eyes as he looked to the door. Something moist -- water? -- filled his eyes as a result of the bright light startling his senses, a slight throbbing just behind his eyes.

The newcomer blinked large, blue-green, ocean-colored eyes at him. His dark brown bangs fell in front of his face, but not enough to bother him. Elec Man felt like he should recognize the shorter robot, but the name escaped him even as he realized that the robot was 001.

001 blinked again and spoke, voice soft and monotone, "Elec Man? How are you awake? We haven't activated any of you yet." Elec Man just stared at him, unable to bring himself to speak even as 001 asked him a second time. When he still received no response, 001's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. "I don't know how or why you're up, but you need to go back to the table until the doctors are through with their maintenance checks." 001 stepped around behind the confused Elec Man, quickly opening a panel in the taller robot's back and pulling a metal panel loose.

Elec Man barely managed to yelp in surprise before he was again surrounded by darkness.

* * * * *

Elec Man felt a tingling sensation, and something in the back of his mind sprang to attention. The activation code...! It was finally time to awaken.

He sat up and opened his eyes. The room was bright and all of the other robots were up and walking around. Two scientists -- Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, Elec Man's mind confirmed -- were standing at the main computer. Two additional robots -- 001 and a blonde female Elec Man guessed to be 002 -- were greeting the other five new robots and double-checking their structure to make sure they were walking and moving properly. Dr. Light typed something into the computer and spoke, "Well, that's the last of them."

"Good," Dr. Wily responded, crossing his arms, "Let's show them around and get them to work." Elec Man blinked.

Work? So soon after they were activated? _Shouldn't we be given time to acquaint ourselves with the building first...?_ he wanted to ask, but something prevented the words from being spoken. Something strange.

_ They cannot learn of what you are,_ something in the back of his mind whispered, making a shiver trail down Elec Man's spine, _Not yet..._

_ Why...?_ Elec Man found himself "asking". No answer came. Even as he tried to figure out what that "voice" in his mind was and why he was so confused, Dr. Wily lead the other seven robots out of the room to be shown to their assigned jobs. Elec Man had still not left the table he had been lying on.

"Elec Man!" Dr. Wily's voice barked from outside the room. Elec Man hesitated, but climbed down from the table. He started to the door, but caught his foot on the table Fire Man had been lying on. He tripped and almost landed face first on the metal floor. He hissed and grabbed the ankle that had gotten hung in the table legs. It quickly grew stiff, throbbing. Elec Man tried to stand back up, but his ankle gave away underneath him.

Dr. Light blinked, waved Dr. Wily to go on, and walked over to Elec Man to see what was wrong. "Balancing sensors not working?" he asked.

Elec Man blinked up at the scientist and managed to stutter, "Uh...y-yeah..." Again, he was restrained, kept from telling the truth. Why? "M-My ankle...isn't working right."

"Let's get you up here on this table and have a look at it," Dr. Light said, helping Elec Man back onto the table. Elec Man rubbed his ankle, wincing, as Dr. Light left to find some tools. Wait...were robots supposed to feel pain? He wanted to ask his creator, but he was still being restrained. Confusion was threatening to overflow his senses, but he remained quiet.

"Hmm..." the scientist muttered to himself as he worked on repairing Elec Man's ankle, "That's odd..." Elec Man blinked at him. "The structure seems...different from what the schematics show...oh well. Something caused some of the cables to swell up." He began putting his tools away. "I gave you an energy injection, so the swelling should reverse in a few minutes. Try walking again in about five minutes." Elec Man nodded. "I'm going to go see how Dr. Wily's doing assigning everyone." With that, the scientist left, leaving Elec Man on the table, in pain, thoroughly confused, and in thought. Deep down, he knew that what he was feeling -- confusion and pain for starters -- was not typical robotic behavior. The only thing he could think of was that something happened when he had awakened before the activation code was given.

What he wished he could find out, however, was _why_.

* * * * *

It was not long after the activation and assigning of the six robots that Dr. Wily went insane. Everyone thought that 001 and 002 -- Rockman and Roll -- had been the only one to escape the reprogramming, but he was not. Elec Man proved to be immune to the codes and programming Dr. Wily was using. He also found that he did not have a sense of loyalty to Dr. Wily and did not want to carry out his orders. Yet another question of why, but the restrain from his first day of activation told him to stay quiet and do as he was told as well as restrained him from asking Rockman why he had not informed either of the scientists of his early activation.

Elec Man escaped being destroyed at the nuclear reactor by Rockman, but the other five were not so lucky. However, Dr. Wily managed to rebuild them easily.

Once they had been rebuilt, Elec Man had noticed that the five Robot Masters acted strangely around him. They would sometimes freeze in his presence; freeze and stare at him, as if awaiting a command. Curiosity sparked, Elec Man finally tested the idea one day, giving them a set of elaborate orders.

They obeyed.

I knew then that I was not like the others.  
I suddenly saw my path in front of me, as if it had been there all this time...  
I knew then...that I was a Kaiser.


	3. v1.1

v1.1

I resisted snapping a scathing insult at Burst Man as he all but shoved me aside. The words would have fallen on deaf ears, anyway. I instead swore under my breath and continued on my way down the many corridors that made up the Skull Castle.

SLASH Fortress...SLASH Palace...SLASH Fort...et cetra et cetra et cetra.

Tengu Man literally shoved me into the wall as he passed. I bottled up the anger and stored it away. _Anger is good...anger is good...makes battles easier...oh, who am I kidding?_

Tengu Man screeched, then fell over, twitching from the after effects of a Thunder Beam. I ran the rest of the way to the fork in the corridor. _Naaaah...I didn't do it!_

Hard Man was not so easily fooled. He held out one of his large, heavy arms, barring my "escape". "That was uncalled for, Elec Man," the large, blue robot said in a perfect imitation of anger.

The way he was saying it, you'd think I just killed his lover or something.

"Dr. Wily will have to know about this," Hard Man continued. My hackles rose. Oh, no. Dr. Wily would not hear _any_thing! I closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, staring ahead. Hard Man froze. "Stand aside," I commanded. Hard Man dropped his arm and stepped back. I said, "Don't speak a word of this to Wily. Do you understand?" Hard Man nodded. "On your way." I waved Hard Man away, and the blue robot continued on his way. I sighed, shook my head, and ran the rest of the way to the empty room the others and I had agreed on.

Centaur Man was already waiting by the entrance, punctual as usual. Centaur Man nodded to me, turned, and entered the room with me behind him. I quickly glanced around, spotting a lone security camera slowly scanning the room. I asked, "Could you...?" Centaur Man nodded. The camera exploded, made into scrap by a Centaur Arrow. "Thank you."

Ah, Centaur Man...not only loyal and prompt, but thorough, too. I remembered first meeting Centaur Man two -- almost three -- years ago. I'd felt the familiar tingle in the back of my mind which usually marked the "birth" of a new Kaiser and quickly made my way to the room in the reinforced "dungeon" so to speak where the new army was waiting to be reprogrammed after having been stolen from the Robot Tournament. Centaur Man, the only one who really appeared to care about what was going on, had demanded answers from me. I never was quite sure if he really accepted the explanation I gave him. He had been outraged for several moments before going quiet, retreating to the back of the room, and crying about how he didn't want to be here and that he wanted to go home.

Sometimes I wonder if he knows how much I empathize with him.

I shook my head and looked to the entrance in time to see Magnet Man enter. Magnet Man...for some reason, I never could remember clearly how I first met him. I shrugged. Magnet Man checked the hallway outside the room briefly, waved to someone outside the room, and fully entered, leaning against the wall with his shoulder.

Ring Man and Crystal Man entered. I hid a grin as I remembered first meeting both of them. Crystal Man had been sitting on his table meditating and "trying to find the answer" to why he was already awake. Ring Man had been so confused and disoriented -- almost like I had been, myself, eight years past -- that he stumbled into everything in the room before making a crash landing right on top of me. Thankfully, it was only the confusion that had made him so clumsy.

Finally, Metal Man entered, closing the entrances behind him. I could still remember when Metal Man had awakened. Instead of being confused like everyone else had been, Metal Man had been scared. He was so disoriented by awakening early that he was frightened, talking about seeing shadows crawl along the walls, watching him. I'd ruled it out as confusion and disorientation. I was the only one who knew of the "incident".

I looked up and spoke, "...it's time..." Around the room, expressions hardened and stomachs clenched.

Crystal Man asked, "Are you certain, Elec Man?"

"It's been two years since the last Kaiser came to be," I stated, "I doubt another will be made, and we can't afford to put this off any longer." My companions nodded. "First, Crystal Man and Magnet Man will pay visits to each one of Wily's old fortresses. See which one is in the best shape and try to get it working again." The Kaisers in question nodded. "Ring Man, you'll stock up on energy tanks. I don't care where you get them or how, but don't start until after Crystal Man and Magnet Man have decided on one of the old fortresses." Ring Man nodded.

"Centaur Man and Metal Man will start planning for the first attack, but keep in mind that we're not attacking until _after_ the old fortress is put back together and all of the access codes changed so that Wily can't hack into the system." The last two Kaisers nodded.

"What about you?" Crystal Man asked.

I hesitated, but answered, "...I'm going to spy on Rock and Dr. Light and make sure they don't notice us. We don't need them attacking while the fortress is being fixed up."

"How're you going to do that?" Magnet Man asked.

"...I don't know; I'm making this up as I go," I muttered, starting away. No one commented. It was an ongoing joke of sorts that I used whenever I had no real answer. The reply basically boiled down to "I'll solve that problem when it comes". The response to the first time I'd said it still cracked me up whenever I remembered it. Magnet Man had face-faulted, Crystal Man and Ring Man had nearly fallen over, Metal Man's eyes had bulged, and Centaur Man had literally fainted.

Crystal Man asked as the other members of the group began to disperse, "When do you want me and Magnet Man to start?"

"As soon as possible," I answered. Everyone else nodded and left. Crystal Man and Magnet Man stayed together while Centaur Man, Metal Man, and Ring Man separated. I waited until they were all gone before taking my leave as well.

* * * * *

"Enter," came the grunt on the other side of the door a moment after Centaur Man knocked. Centaur Man wiped his face clean of any potentially betraying expression and entered as he was told like the "good little robot" that he was. It had been several days since the gathering, and, as far as Centaur Man knew, Crystal Man and Magnet Man had not had much luck in finding a salvageable fortress. Dr. Wily looked at him and near-demanded, "What do you want?"

Centaur Man resisted clearing his throat as he answered, keeping his expression blank, "Sir, you sent Cut Man and Plant Man on a mission to mine those coring samples from the mountains, but they do not have any backup in case Rockman discovers them. Might I aid them?" It sounded innocent enough.

Dr. Wily shook his head as he answered, "No. Mountainous terrain is not what you were built for. Your hooves would slide around all over the place. You'd be useless."

Perfect. Now for the ploy. "What if I was able to shift to two legs?" He hoped it sounded an innocent enough question to come from a "good little robot".

Dr. Wily looked as if to decline again, but stopped, thinking about that. Centaur Man hoped that he had not noticed the minor detail that was the fact that a "good little robot" should not have curiosity.

"Hmm..." the scientist drawled, "I suppose...being able to shift _would_ enable you to work properly in a great many more terrains and situations." Centaur Man nodded. "Very well. Let me find your schematics and figure out how to do this. Dismissed." Centaur Man nodded again, turned, and left.

When the door closed behind him, he snickered and bounded down the hallway, kicking his back hooves in the air. He tricked the doctor without any coaching from Elec Man! He found himself wondering if Elec Man would like the idea. It certainly _would_ make it easier for him to work in different terrains. Magnet Man would probably call him stupid for risking blowing his cover.

"Watch it!" a shriek sounded, tearing through Centaur Man's glee. The green and gold robot looked around, blinking before looking down to the floor. Metal Man glared at him, arms crossed as he lay under the horse-bodied Kaiser. Centaur Man felt his face flush as he backed up and helped Metal Man to his feet.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly as Metal Man dusted himself off.

"No problem," Metal Man responded, "What are you so happy about, anyway?" Centaur Man attempted to look innocent. He was the best at it. Ring Man often said he looked adorable when he played innocent.

"Happy? Me?" he drawled, "What gives you that idea? I'm a good little robot!" Metal Man groaned. Centaur Man knew he was grinning behind the facemask.

"Seriously..." Metal Man said, starting back down the corridor, Centaur Man loping beside him.

"Where's Elec Man?" Centaur Man asked.

"Spying, now stop answering questions with questions!"

Centaur Man looked sheepish as he answered, "Well...I just talked to Dr. Wily..." He could feel tension surging into Metal Man's shoulders. Metal Man knew that Centaur Man was one of the best when it came to acting as convincing as a normal robot, but the less risks the Kaisers took, the better. "I managed to sucker him into thinking about giving me the ability to switch back and forth between my horse form and a two-legged form. It'll make getting around in some areas a lot easier--"

Metal Man cut him off as he yelped, "You _what_?!" Centaur Man stopped in his tracks, blinking as he repeated himself. Metal Man looked ready to strike the youngest Kaiser. "He's going to have to look at your schematic for that, and he'll notice that you don't look the way you should!" Centaur Man felt like kicking himself. Why had he not considered that before? "Dr. Light was lenient with Elec Man when he sprained his ankle upon activation, but that was just his _ankle_! This is your _entire lower half_!" Metal Man forced himself to calm down, but his anger and exasperation still bled through. "And if that doesn't make Wily suspicious enough, you can bleed _and_ you have nerves. And he won't knock you out." Centaur Man paled. "If you don't bleed everywhere during the operation, you'll go insane from the pain!"

A moment passed before Centaur Man finally spoke, his voice nothing but a high-pitched squeak as if his windpipe was being constricted.

"...oops...?"

* * * * *

"Hm...what do you think?" Crystal Man asked upon his and Magnet Man's arrival at the bottom-most floor of the next-to-last fortress available. Three had been completely destroyed and were out of the question and, so far, none of the other still-standing fortresses were in good enough shape.

"Seems good enough," Magnet Man answered as they surveyed the last room left to explore in the fortress. There were burns, dents, holes, and scratches in the metal from a battle that took place too long ago. Which fortress was this, anyway? The very first? Judging from how worn away the burns were and how thick the dust was on the computers and equipment, it had to be either the first or second. "I don't think there's much damaged at all--"

A piece of sheet metal fell down from the ceiling onto him. Crystal Man choked.

"...remind me to keep my mouth shut, next time."

"Will do."

* * * * *

Black boots, black slacks, a dark red t-shirt, and a black trench coat gave me a very human guise. When combined with my unruly, platinum blonde hair and pale skin which both looked and felt much more real than the soft rubber that made up the other Robot Masters' exterior, I could hardly be mistaken for anything else, even if I do say so, myself. The only betraying feature were my golden eyes which tended to glowed in the dark from my internal nuclear generator. When I was angry enough, my eyes sometimes crackled with electricity.

A set of mirror shades completed the ensemble, hiding my eyes completely. I let a small, amused grin crack my overly serious expression for a brief second before wiping it away. The last thing I needed was to get cocky.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Ring Man asked from behind me, "It won't take but a minute for me to change."

I shook his head, answering as I adjusted my coat and found myself wondering exactly how cold it was outside, "No. Wily's already suspicious about Crystal Man's and Magnet Man's absence. Two more of his Robot Masters going missing will be too suspicious."

"No more than one," Ring Man pointed out, tossing a small, hand-held communicator to me. I caught the communicator and shoved it in my pocket while still looking in the mirror. "And, besides, we'd only be gone a few hours, right?"

"You're still not coming." Ring Man pretended to look offended.

A moment of silence passed before Ring Man spoke, "At least change shirts." I blinked. "The lightning bolt. It might give you away."

I looked down at my shirt, a bright yellow lightning bolt sewn into the chest. "Aww...I like it..." However, I saw the wisdom in the brown robot's words and slipped the trench coat off so that I could change shirts, yelping when one was thrown in my face. I fumbled to try to get it on, issuing a snicker from Ring Man. "Oh, shut up," I sniffed, pulling the trench coat back on.

"You're welcome," Ring Man snickered.

"Thanks. You're still not coming."


	4. v1.2

v1.2

I slid out of the bushes without a sound. Grass was crushed underfoot as I silently crept towards Dr. Light's laboratory. Dew and frost clung to my boots as it was disturbed and sent rolling off the blades of grass and leaves of unopened flowers that it had clung to during the evening hours. Crickets chirped their annoyance at my presence, but hopped away without protest. The only sounds that pierced the silence were those coming from the laboratory's kitchen as Roll prepared the evening meal. I ignored the rumbling of my stomach as I smelled what Roll was cooking. Not that I needed the food anyway, but it sure did smell appetizing.

I shook my head and pressed my back against the metallic wall, as close to the window as I could get without being seen and still being able to hear what was transpiring inside.

The conversations between Rock, Roll, and Dr. Light turned out to be rather dull and uninteresting. A terraforming project Dr. Light was thinking about _( who cares? )_, a few new successful recipes of Roll's _( Aw. Now why would anyone want to abandon Dr. Wily's "cooking"? )_, successful news on a construction project that had required Rock's strength _( Better than you coulda done )_, but nothing really interesting, and nothing suggesting that they had found out about Crystal Man and Magnet Man _( Surprising )_.

_ And you can just shut up._

_ ( Heh )_

I probably wasn't there for more than twenty minutes, but I had finished my task -- I had made sure that they didn't suspect something was going on among Wily's ranks _( other than the usual, insane crap )_, so Magnet Man and Crystal Man were free to continue checking out the remaining castles.

I stepped away from the wall, backing away from the window, and started to leave, but I ended up slipping on a piece of trash that Rush had torn from the garbage _( smooth )_ and crashed into the garbage can. Yippee for me _( I second that )_.

I heard confused questions from the dining room as Roll and Rock wondered what had made such a sound _( Over here! He's over here! )_. I tried to get up to get away, but only succeeded in crashing into the trash cans again _( bravo! )_.

I _think_ I swore. Whatever I did after the second crash had ruled out Roll's guesses at a stray dog, and the next thing I knew I was staring down the line of the lab and at an unarmored Rock. I could only hope that he didn't recognize me.

"Elec Man?"

Shit.

"Elec Man?" he repeated, starting toward me. He didn't seem concerned in the least. I could have zapped him without him getting a chance to even yelp _( love your grammar there )_. He tilted his head quizzically. "Um...isn't it a bit...late...?" he drawled, "Are you...hungry...? Or something...?" I started to stiffen, thinking that he knew about me somehow, but remembered that Dr. Light had given all of us the ability to eat and convert food into energy. It's just that living machines -- like Rock -- have _taste_ added to their senses. You wouldn't believe some of the crap I've ended up tasting due to Dr. Wily's insane experiments _( like that gingerbread house with caulk for icing that Flash Man made a few Christmases ago )_. I stumbled to my feet, trying to look as dignified as I could. And failing.

"How did you know it was me?" I wanted to know. I didn't think my disguise was _that_ bad, and besides, Ring Man had pointed out the shirt.

"Your voice," Rock answered, "You cussed in front of me before." Okay. That nearly floored me. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. Metal Man always did say that I needed to wash my mouth out with soap. The Voice was doing cartwheels and screaming with laughter. "Remember?" Indeed I did. I remembered dropping that huge box of books and various other pieces of crap on my foot not long at all before Wily went nuts. Dr. Light had thought I had simply been created with "good reaction circuitry" as he put it. Wily thought I was just showing off because I had apparently been built "slightly more advanced than the others".

Truth be told, it hurt like shit.

I just nodded, doing my best to act like a "good little robot" as Centaur Man always so...eloquently -- yeah, that's the word I want -- put it. I'm not the best actor among the Kaisers -- Centaur Man and Ring Man have got me beat, hands down -- but I make do. The Voice giggled at my attempts, but hey, if I could fool Wily, I could sure as hell fool Rock. Frankly, I was surprised he wasn't attacking me.

"So..." Rock continued, blinking, "Why are you here? Hungry?"

Dr. Light rounded the corner, unconcerned as he spoke, "You can come in if you like." That caught me off guard. Were they really that naive?

"Wh...why? We're..." I stammered, losing my "good little robot" exterior for a minute. They didn't notice, or, if they did, they didn't show it.

Rock shrugged, smiling weakly as he answered, "Well...you're not here to fight...so it's okay, right?" I hesitated, but nodded.

_ ( They're naive idiots. )_

I seconded that opinion.

"So!" Rock chirped, "Are you hungry?" I shook my head even though Roll's cooking _had_ smelled good. "Do you need anything...?"

_ ( You just wanted to visit. )_

"I just...wanted to visit, I guess..." I muttered, kicking the Voice into its corner and silencing it for at least a few moments. Rock's expression brightened.

"Oh! Come on inside!" he crowed, running back around and re-entering the lab. I couldn't help but feel like I'd been tricked somehow as I followed him, taking off my sunglasses and shoving them into one pocket of my coat. What the hell did I just get myself into?

_ And I don't want any comment from you._

_ ( I didn't say anything! )_

I was lead inside and to the kitchen. I didn't want to sit down, but I didn't really have much of a choice, did I?

"It's good to see you," Dr. Light spoke, "How have you been?"

"Okay," was all I said. I was doing my damnedest to look innocent. Really, I was.

"That's good!" Roll crooned. I think naive is an understatement.

_ ( I second that opinion. )_

I did my best to ignore Rock's scrutinization, but it quickly got on my nerves.

"Rock, don't stare," Dr. Light admonished. Believe me, it took a lot of willpower to keep from grinning when Rock shrank away, face flushed. They managed to get me into a conversation, although I forget what it was about right now _( crap )_.

The communicator in my pocket went off so suddenly, I jumped, banging my knees on the table. I managed to bite back a string of curses -- Metal Man would be proud. You see, I've got bad knees -- I took a Rolling Cutter to one and both a Gyro Blade _and_ a Silver Tomahawk to the other. I can run miles on end, and I'm still the fastest of my original army, but bang them on something or give me a flight of stairs to climb and I'm at your mercy. Considering how many times Wily's smacked one or both of my knees with pieces of sheet metal, tools, and other stuff _( or that time Centaur Man accidentally kicked you )_, I'm surprised they're still working as well as they are. Wily thinks the metal's just old.

I dismissed myself, avoiding their quizzical glances, and went into the next room without limping. Point for me. Of course, the second I was out of sight, I hit the floor whimpering as quietly as I could. Did I mention that they're sensitive as well as being weak?

I fished out the communicator before it started beeping again and hit the button to turn it on. "Yeah?" I croaked. Hey, I was in pain, okay? "That you, Crystal Man?"

_ "Yes,"_ he answered, louder than I thought he would. I turned down the volume a split second before Crystal Man asked, _"You sound hurt. What's wrong? And why are you whispering?"_

"I'm in Dr. Light's lab and I don't want them to overhear; they're in the next room," I answered, the pain finally dulling down to a persistent numbness, "And I hit my knees. Both of 'em."

_ "Owch,"_ was the reply. Had it been Magnet Man, I probably wouldn't have gotten even that much. He doesn't like me _( who would? )_. _"You're _inside_...? Incredible..."_

"They're naive idiots. How's the search going?"

_ "I've found an almost perfect fortress. It would require little to no effort to restore it."_

"Perfect. How soon can you change the passwords and put in the cryptograms?"

_ "I'm working on that right now...but you need to be careful."_

"I'm being careful. Like I said, they're naive idiots. The first thing Rock did when he saw me was invite me inside..." I shook my head. "Contact Centaur Man, Metal Man, and Ring Man and tell them I said to get started on their assignments. I'll be there as soon as I can."

_ "Got it."_ The connection was cut, and I shoved the communicator back into my pocket. I started back to the kitchen, but stopped just before the doorway when I heard what Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll were talking about.

"What do you mean?" Roll asked.

"A normal robot doesn't jump like that..." Dr. Light was muttering. I think my blood went cold. "And didn't you see? When he hit his knees on the table, he winced. He was trying hard not to, but I could still see it." The Voice started cackling, running around in circles and howling, finding my screw up ridiculously funny for some reason.

"What does that mean?" Rock asked. I knew he was looking over his shoulder toward the doorway, and I was thankful that I was out of sight.

Dr. Light was still muttering mostly to himself. "I'm suddenly reminded of the way he reacted when he dropped that box on his foot so long ago..."

"I thought you just said he had good reaction circuitry or something," Rock responded, "And, besides, you did put circuitry in all of them to resemble pain..." That was very true. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had installed a program and circuitry to simulate pain even in the other five and Roll, although I think mine came natural as did the other Kaisers'. Probably part of being alive. The others needed the circuitry and simulated nerves to inform them if they had their arm caught in a piece of machinery or something so they could enact the Second Law of Robotics: "A robot must preserve its own existence so long as it does not contradict the first Law."

However, a robot wasn't expected to actually _react_ to pain like a human would.

"Yes, but that doesn't include jumping out of your seat at an unexpected noise," Dr. Light answered. I wanted to bang my head on the wall. The Voice had gone into uncontrollable screams of laughter. I shoved it into a box and sat on the lid. It was muffled, but I could still hear it. "I was looking through his and the others' schematics the other day...remember, I took scans of all of you before you were activated, and again shortly afterwards." My stomach knotted up. "Elec Man's second scan was almost entirely different than the first -- in terms of internal wiring and mechanical structure, that is. I compared the second scan to one of your most recent ones, Rock..."

"...and?" Rock piped after Dr. Light trailed off.

"It's almost identical to yours."

The Voice erupted out of its box, screaming and cackling and chortling. My stomach's knot just grew tighter and tighter to the point that it was painful. If I'd had a urinary system -- thankfully, whatever made us what we are left us without _that_ at least... -- I more than likely would have wet my pants by now.

_ ( They won't like this! They won't like this at aaaaaall! )_

The Voice was still laughing, however.

When I could trust my voice again, I stepped back into the kitchen and lied, "I have to go. Wily wants me back." My voice didn't break or waver. A zillion brownie points for me. Rock looked disappointed. Roll looked apathetic like a "good little robot" should. Dr. Light looked lost in thought. Shit.

I left before they could say anything further, recalling my armor. I didn't need the disguise anymore, anyway. I resisted stopping when I heard Dr. Light continue before I was out of earshot, "...I think he may be alive, Rock..."

I ran the rest of the way to the trees, disappearing into the bushes, trying to deny how much I'd given away. It wasn't necessary that they didn't know our secret, but still. I shitted up _so_ bad.

Once I was out of sight of the lab, I pulled out the communicator and spoke into it, "Crystal Man?"

_ "What is it?"_ Magnet Man's irritated-as-usual voice answered. Double shit. Just who I _didn't_ want to talk to.

"What are the coordinates to the fortress you and Crystal Man picked out?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level. He sent them, and I fumbled for my teleporter.

_ ( He's not going to like thiiiiis! )_ The Voice broke into fresh peels of laughter.

Why, oh, _why_ am I the only Kaiser who hears voices?

* * * * *

^ PATHOS! ^

( Yeees? What do you want, Fuegos? )

Is everything going as we hoped? 

( If you mean Elec Man's screw up...yep. He jumped just like you predicted, Charos. )

[ Good. Now we can work on Phase Two. ]

~ What was Phase Two? I forget. ~

* Me too. *

^ You're both idiots. ^

[ No matter. Once the ball has been dropped, the waltz shall begin. ]

* But will it be an endless waltz? *

( I doubt it. )

No. There will eventually be a victor. 

~ But it is up to the Kaisers to decide which will triumph. ~

^ They were not branded as "puppetmasters" for nothing...we shall see who dances the last dance. ^


	5. v1.3

v1.3

Ring Man dropped yet another energy canister onto his foot and growled, "You know, it's improper to roll out of reach like that. If my hands weren't full, I'd chuck you into the next spike pit I saw! In fact, I'd make sure that at least three spikes penetrated that wonderful little metal outer covering."

"Oh, for crying out loud, Ring Man. Curse the canister and get on with it!" Metal Man groaned, struggling with holding his own seven energy canisters.

"I curse my canisters in my own way," Ring Man snapped in response.

Centaur Man rolled his eyes, thankful that no one had noticed them, otherwise he was sure that they would have been questioned to the extreme. It was all he could do not to trip over the canisters the three Kaisers kept dropping. _It'd be one hell of a fiasco if my legs got tangled up..._

They finally managed to make it to Metal Man's chosen room -- all of the Robot Masters were given rooms even though they were not supposed to be able to sleep; Centaur Man never understood it since Wily did not know any of them are alive; maybe it was so they would have a quiet area to go into "stasis" whenever their working energy was too low -- and they only dropped canisters two more times. Centaur Man had thought Ring Man _was_ going to throw them all into the closest spike pit. Elec Man had warned him that Ring Man tended to have a temper when he wanted. The way he bounced back and forth between moods was unnerving.

Metal Man dropped all of the canisters that had survived the trip -- all three of them; he had started out with nine -- and locked the door behind them. Centaur Man had managed to keep hold of all but one of his canisters. Much to Ring Man's joy, it had rolled into one of the "bottomless" pits, and they had had to stop just so he could be satisfied by not hearing it hit the bottom.

"Come on," Metal Man muttered, fumbling for his teleporter after slapping the security camera so that it pointed at the opposite wall instead of right down at the trio, "We still have two more trips to make."

The room wavered and faded to that of the main computer laboratory of the Kaisers' chosen fortress. Magnet Man was at the computers, typing seemingly endless strings of code as he attempted to replace the old passwords and cryptograms, growling to himself. He muttered to himself as Centaur Man, Metal Man, and Ring Man stacked their energy canisters neatly against the wall, typing what he murmured, "Access main security..." The computer beeped an "access denied" klaxon at him. "Access main files..." Again, the computer beeped at him. "Access main program grid..." The computer beeped at him yet again. Magnet Man swore, "Piece of _shit_!"

An arm wrapped around his shoulders and someone leaned against him. Magnet Man bit back a scathing comment and gallantly ignored Ring Man's casual advance. The two were the most "humanized" -- as Elec Man often described it -- of the Kaisers, and understood their emotions better than the others, including lust. Sometimes Magnet Man regretted it.

"Having trouble?" Ring Man crooned.

"I can't get into the damned system," Magnet Man swore, resisting the urge to punch his fist through the monitor, "And I have to get in to install the last set of cryptograms..."

"Where's Elec Man?" Metal Man spoke after stacking the last set of energy canisters, "Has he gotten through spying yet?"

Magnet Man glowered. "That idiot?" he muttered, "He's talking with Crystal Man. Looks like he let Dr. Light and Rock figure out almost everything about him." The newcomers nearly froze. "Yep. He screwed up."

* * * * *

Crystal Man was half-glaring at me disapprovingly, but I was thankful for the fact that he hadn't screamed at me like Magnet Man had. Me, I couldn't take my gaze off the floor. I felt like a child who just got his hand caught in the cookie jar, except my mistake was a lot worse. I was sitting in a chair, hands on my knees and shoulders hunched. Crystal Man was sitting across from me, a table separating us, his arms folded over his chest and legs crossed casually. I felt like I had just been shoved into a bad detective movie.

"...so, how much do they have figured out already?" Crystal Man asked. He'd asked the same question twice already -- I guess he was trying to convince himself that I was joking or something. I wished I was.

"Dr. Light thinks I'm alive..." I answered as I had the last two times, "And Rock's inclined to believe him..."

The door cracked open behind me, but no one entered. Even without looking, I knew it was Ring Man, Metal Man, and Centaur Man eavesdropping. Magnet Man probably told them what I did the second they came back with their second-to-last load of supplies for the day.

Yippee.

"And how did this happen?" Crystal Man asked. Wow. A different question for once, but I still couldn't bring myself to look up at him. I could feel his held back anger and annoyance -- his voice was carefully hiding a growl in the back of his throat with each word he said. If our places were switched and he was the one who had messed up, would I have held back my anger? Probably not. Point for him.

"I got caught off guard when my communicator went off, and I jumped," I answered, still staring at the floor. "When I jumped, I banged my knees on the table and winced. I tried to hide it, but Dr. Light saw it anyway." The Voice was still snickering about it, and my knees still throbbed if I bent them the wrong way. I didn't think that I'd hit the table _that_ hard, but apparently I did. Either that, or they're weaker than I thought. "I heard him mention that he'd been looking over the first army's schematics a few weeks ago, and he noticed that my wiring and internal circuitry was almost the exact same as Rock's." Okay, so that was a lame attempt at covering my ass and pointing out that it wasn't _entirely_ my fault. Give me some sympathy, here.

_ ( Give you sympathy? Yeah right. )_

_ You know, I _could_ tell them about you and say that you distracted me from my act._

_ ( Heh )_

Crystal Man nodded, eyes closed. I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. Probably not. "But they don't know about what we're doing here, right?" he asked. I shook my head. Crystal Man sighed, a great amount of tension leaving his shoulders. He rubbed his forehead, the fingers of his other hand drumming over the top of his helmet in front of him on the table. He would have looked perfectly human if it weren't for the fact that his hair was blue. Plus the fact that his skin looked rather silver-colored in the sunlight. I'd always found it odd. The rest of us looked perfectly human out of our armor. Ah, well. At least he wasn't fully pissed at me anymore.

Just really, really miffed.

The door behind me swung open and Metal Man, Centaur Man, and Ring Man yelped as they were either scattered or sent sprawled onto the floor. "Crystal Man!" Magnet Man barked, "You'll have to take over. I'm about ready to punch the god damned monitor in." Crystal Man rubbed his face, sighing and standing up, putting his helmet back on.

He looked straight at me, dark blue eyes serious. "I'm assigning Ring Man to the spy jobs around Dr. Light's place." I just nodded. I felt insulted, but it was a wise decision. Dr. Light and Rock knew almost nothing about Ring Man, not even what he looked like underneath his armor. Rock probably knew his voice, but Ring Man was one of the best actors. He could disguise himself better than I could. But while it would be a lot less dangerous, I'd miss being able to at least watch Rock, Dr. Light, and Roll, even if I couldn't talk with them.

Crystal Man left to take over for Magnet Man, and I sighed heavily, slumping. I felt like crap. I also felt like I was being watched.

_ ( You are being watched, you dope. )_

"Um...Elec Man?" I glanced over my shoulder at Metal Man and Centaur Man. Ring Man had left -- probably to make sure the supplies were stacked properly.

"What?" It came out a lot worse than I had intended -- almost a growl, but I _was_ in a fairly bad mood. My pride was down the toilet, I'd probably near-jeopardized us, and I wanted to take a shower something _fierce_. I was starting to notice that I smelled a lot like the garbage I had slipped in. The fact that Centaur Man was visibly resisting holding his nose was proof of that. I found myself wondering how Crystal Man had put up with the stench.

Metal Man stepped into the room, sitting down beside me. His helmet and facemask was covering up most, nearly all, of his face. Only a bare trace of his pale skin was visible, but his fire red eyes always stood out, even among the plain red of his armor. Like candle flames undisturbed by even the slightest breeze.

_ ( You're staring. )_

_ Shut up._

"Centaur Man has something to tell you," Metal Man spoke, mercifully unaware of the fact that I'd been staring. Again. Either that or he ignored it. Probably the latter. Centaur Man fidgeted, hooves pawing at the metal floor nervously, skittishly, like a foal being approached by its owner for the first time.

"Um...um...I..." he stammered, wringing his hands together, "I...I talked with Wily earlier today..." I turned around in my chair, resting one arm against the table. So far, I couldn't see why he was so nervous. He was the best actor out of all of us. He could even force himself to stop breathing for up to two hours without his systems overheating. "I...talked to him...about altering my body a bit..." Now I started getting suspicious. Altering how?  
"...exactly what do you mean by that?" I all but demanded. He visibly resisted backing away.

He swallowed so hard that it _had_ to have hurt before answering me, stammering, "A-About...r-replacing my e-equine body...w-with a b-bipedal one...to give me a bit more of an advantage..."

"You _what_?!" I didn't _mean_ to yell. At least, I don't think I did. All I knew at the time was that one minute he was confessing a huge problem, and the next minute, he was cowering in the corner and I was at my feet, my chair having been knocked to the floor. I guess I stood up too quick. Metal Man was standing up, too, not sure whether he should try to calm me down or comfort Centaur Man. "_Why_?!"

"B-Because," Centaur Man started, his voice coming out in a squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again, "B-Because...I-I thought that...if I had a bipedal form...that I could be m-more useful. B-Be able to help out in d-different terrains..." He looked so pathetic that I forced myself to calm down. He already knew how nasty a mistake he had made, and my yelling at him wasn't doing any good.

"Did you even _think _of the fact that he'd have to look at your schematic and slice you open?" It was a perfectly logical question.

He shook his head, still wringing his hands together. "No...not until after...he'd already agreed to the...the operation..."

Metal Man spoke up, sighing, "Wily's drawing up a new schematic for his lower half now." I slumped back into a chair. I didn't need to hear this. I'd already screwed up enough, and now Centaur Man had made another problem. Just damned great.

"How the hell are you going to survive that?" I had to ask, "You'll either bleed to death or go insane from the pain."

"I don't know..." Centaur Man whimpered. Yay.

"Hopefully we'll be through with everything that needs done here before then," Metal Man said, "Then he can hide out here." I nodded and looked up at Centaur Man. He was visibly shivering even though he was trying hard not to, and looked almost ready to faint. He was scared enough already; he didn't need me yelling at him and making things worse.

I stood back up and sighed. "Go help Ring Man finish getting the supplies...and make sure someone tells him that he's in charge of the spy jobs on Dr. Light from now on." They nodded and left, leaving me mercifully alone.

_ ( Aww. How will you keep yourself occupied now that you can't spy anymore? )_

As alone as I could get, anyway.

* * * * *

Dr. Wily was muttering to himself as he drew and scribbled on pieces of paper only to end up ripping most of them apart and throwing them across the room. Magnet Man's eyes narrowed, and he slid closer to the doorway, pressed against the wall outside the room as he eavesdropped on Dr. Wily's ramblings.

"Centaur Man has been acting strange..." the scientist was grumbling as he drew and discarded yet another unacceptable design for Centaur Man's new lower half, "As if he's dreading this operation..." The scientist shrugged it off, busying himself with another drawing. Magnet Man grinned. So. Elec Man was not the only screw up of the bunch. Strangely enough, it was good to know. More idiots meant his task would be easier. "Magnet Man and Crystal Man have been missing..." Dr. Wily grumbled, tapping his pencil on the metal of the table. "As has Elec Man..." He looked over the drawing in front of him, tapped his pencil a moment more, and threw the piece of paper across the room. "I shall have to examine them soon..." Magnet Man nodded slowly. Dr. Wily was becoming suspicious so soon into the game.

_ But he won't have his hands on me._

* * * * *

What do you want?

( Little old me? )

Yes, "little old you"...

( To make your life miserable, of course! )

How did I know...

( Seriously, though. You should thank me. )

_ Thank_ you? For what? Trying to drive me insane?

( Why, for giving you your powers, you ingrate. Your ability to think for yourself. Your heart. )

...how are you responsible?

( We have our ways. )

"We"? Shit -- there's more than one of you?!

( Yeeesss...one for each of you. )

What are you? What do you _want_?!

( Can't tell you yet. As for the first question, you can call me Pathos if you want. )

...doesn't that mean "guilt"?

( In a sense, yes it does. Much like _your_ guilt. )

...leave me alone...

( Heh. Don't worry. You've put up with me gallantly for eight years. You shouldn't have much longer to go if you cooperate. )

...why? Cooperate how? What are you _talking_ about?

( I've already said too much. )

W-Wait...!

( Good night, Elec Man. )

* * * * *

My room was dark and silent -- just the way I liked it. My bed was usually nice and dry and comfortable, but right now the sheets were soaked with cold sweat. Damn it. Not only did the Voice _( still calling me that, huh? )_ harass me when I was awake, now it was invading my dreams. Joy.

Someone knocked gently on my door and timidly cracked it open. Metal Man poked his head inside when he noticed that I was awake. "Are you okay?" he asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind him, "I could hear you tossing and turning from the other end of the hall."

"I'm fine...just a nightmare..."

_ ( Owch. I'm hurt. )_

"Do you want to talk about it?" I just shook my head. I was already on Magnet Man's shit list. I didn't need everyone thinking I was crazy because I hear voices _( Heehee... )_. Metal Man tilted his head, confused and concerned _( AWW!! )_, but didn't push the subject. I think he always has been one of the more considerate ones. Ring Man would have pestered me to insanity to get me to talk.

_ ( And you would have eventually told him to get him to shut up. )_

Sad, but true...

Metal Man shuffled his armored feet a little, unsure whether he should stay or leave, before he looked up and spoke, "Centaur Man, Ring Man, and I finished getting the supplies. Crystal Man's working on the computers on the base level."

"And Magnet Man?"

"Um...we...don't know where he is..." Great. "My guess is that he went back to Wily's to diffuse a bit of suspicion on his and Crystal Man's 'disappearance' over the past week."

"...if Wily spots him, I hope Magnet Man's got a damned good excuse." Metal Man nodded. I sighed and rubbed my face, standing up and retrieving my helmet from the floor. "I think the rest of us had better get back, too...he's probably getting iffy about us going missing without warning all this week..." Metal Man nodded again, and turned to leave. He was almost out the door when I called him to ask, "Have you and Centaur Man started planning the first attack yet?"

He turned back around. "No. He's too hysterical about the surgery right now. I was going to try sitting him down again tomorrow after he's had time to settle down." I nodded. It made sense. Centaur Man wouldn't be able to think straight under hysteria. "I'll stay here for the night and help out Crystal Man. I may not be as good at programming as he and Magnet Man are, but I can start repairing and rebuilding the Mets and other robots." I nodded again.

_ ( The boy's good. He keeps beating you to the punch in assignments. )_

And Magnet Man wonders why Metal Man's my unofficial second in command.


	6. v1.4

v1.4

"Okay, just _calm down_, Centaur Man..." Metal Man sighed, patiently waiting for the green and gold robot on the other side of the table to stop fidgeting and shuffling about. Metal Man folded his hands in front of him on the table, watching his near-hysterical comrade. Every one of the Kaisers knew that Centaur Man was still new to his emotions and sensations, and the thought of pain always sent him into nervous fits. Metal Man was the one usually sent to "deal with" Centaur Man and coax him through his nervous breakdowns. Partially because he was one of the most patient of the Kaisers, but mostly because he, too, had been like Centaur Man and knew what went through the youngest Kaiser's mind most of the time.

"B-But..." Centaur Man gulped, hooves pawing at the floor.

"Please. Worrying so much that your tail falls off isn't going to help anything," Metal Man pointed out patiently, "We will find a way to get you out of this. I promise." Those words seemed to do the trick temporarily, and Centaur Man stopped pawing at the floor, content to merely hug himself instead. It was an improvement. "Now...we need to start planning the first attacks like Elec Man told us to." Centaur Man nodded. "The way I see it, we have two choices. We could attack from the base of the castle, controlling Robot Masters as we find them until we reach our limit, or we could attack Wily directly."

"The problem with attacking Wily directly is that we won't know where he is," Centaur Man pointed out, "We could teleport here and there all over the fortress, and not run into him. And by the time we _did_ find him, he most likely would have put the entire fortress on full alert." Metal Man nodded. "Is there any way we could start in the middle, have one Robot Master find Wily and keep him there, and then follow him?"

"That could work..." Metal Man muttered. "Of course, remember that we don't want to kill Wily ourselves." Centaur Man nodded. Elec Man had already made a full announcement of it several times during the past eight years, especially since the newest robotic law passed three years past that any robot who harmed a human would be deactivated on sight.

Centaur Man thought for a moment before looking up and asking, "Wait a second...wouldn't we have to figure out exactly which Robot Master we want to kill Wily?" Metal Man blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...think about it for a minute. Whoever finds Wily's body will only be able to figure out how he died, not which Robot Master did it." Metal Man's eyes narrowed. "They could mistake the real murder weapon for one of ours." Metal Man's stomach knotted up. "The Quick Boomerang or Shadow Blade could be mistaken for the Metal Blade, the Spark Shock for the Thunder Beam, the Flash Bomb for the Magnet Missile..." Centaur Man rubbed the back of his neck. "We need to make a list of all of the Robot Masters we can control at least _fairly_ easily and exactly how his weapon works and what it would do to a human body. Even the Gemini Laser could be mistaken for the Magnet Missile or Thunder Beam if it didn't core a hole through Wily."

"I'm glad you thought of that..." Metal Man sighed, rubbing his helmet, "Or we would have been dead meat. Elec Man had been thinking of getting Quick Man and Spark Man to do it." Centaur Man nodded.

"So we've got some thinking to do."

* * * * *

"That's odd..." Dr. Wily muttered, "Centaur Man's schematic seems...different from the one I received before that tournament..." He remembered the requirement of the Robot Tournament he had set as Mr. X that any applicant be newly created and unactivated until the day before the tournament. He had also required that a set of schematics be sent to him before the tournament.

In Centaur Man's most recent schematic, his internal circuitry had been shifted dramatically -- his CPU was now in his head, instead of in his back where it should have been, for one. In fact, every important piece of circuitry -- memory block, secondary processor, and other machinery -- had been moved from his back to his head, or somewhere in that area. Also, there were new pipes and wires not visible in his old schematic that were strung throughout his body.

Dr. Wily lightly drummed his fingers across the keyboard as he compared the two schematics several times, noting each difference as he spotted it. His first instinct was to think that Centaur Man's creator had "rearranged" him shortly after sending the schematic, but that thought was short-lived as the scientist remembered that he had received the schematic not long before the tournament. There had not been enough time for such drastic changes to be made.

Typing in commands and codes, Dr. Wily pulled up the schematic of every other robot in his vast army, taking note of any similarities between their schematics and Centaur Man's more recent one. His search turned up five more robots with almost identical structure; Elec Man, Magnet Man, Metal Man, Crystal Man, and Ring Man -- the very Robot Masters that he had seen little of during the past few weeks. _Interesting..._

He glanced over his shoulder at the nearly completed set of legs he had been working on. It would not be long before they would be completed. _I'll see what those other pipes and wires are for then..._ he reasoned, nodding, _And then I'll see what needs to be done about the others..._

* * * * *

"Okay," Centaur Man muttered, yawning and shaking his head as he set down his pencil, "I made a chart of all of the Robot Masters, including ourselves, and put their weapons into different categories; electric, fire, timestopper, and so on." He slid the piece of paper across the table to Metal Man who looked it over thoroughly. "Some of our weapons can technically be classified in two different categories -- like the Skull Barrier is both a blunt weapon and a barrier -- so that's why a few Robot Masters are listed twice." Metal Man nodded.

"Good work," he spoke, nodding as he checked over the chart again, "So now we can start crossing out the Robot Masters that we might be mistaken for." Centaur Man nodded. Metal Man took a pen and began crossing out names on the chart. "Anyone with blades, electricity, explosives, timestoppers, and blunt weapons is immediately out. And any fire weapons can probably be mistaken for electrical burns, so they're out..." He paused for a moment after crossing out the correct Robot Masters. "...geez...that doesn't leave very many to choose from."

"I know," Centaur Man sighed, "If I remember right, it leaves us with only fifteen out of sixty-four total; Ice Man, Bubble Man, Air Man, Top Man, Needle Man, Toad Man, Gravity Man, Wave Man, Blizzard Man, Wind Man, Freeze Man, Shade Man, Tengu Man, Aqua Man, and Frost Man -- and even Elec Man can barely control Tengu Man, Aqua Man, and Frost Man, so we might as well forget them. And the Needle Cannon's iffy...humans can be so stupid, they _might_ mistake it for some sort of blade weapon."

"And I'm not sure if Elec Man wants to risk any of his original army being deactivated or not..." Metal Man muttered, "If not, that leaves out every Robot Master with a water or ice-type weapon so Ice Man won't be mistaken..." Centaur Man cringed.

"That leaves us with only six..." Metal Man nodded grimly.

"Which of those six do you think we can use quickly? I'd think that the Top Spin, Gravity Hold, Wind Storm, and Air Shooter would be too slow...Wily might escape." Metal Man paused. "And I don't have a clue what the Noise Crush would do to a human. For all I know, it might just deafen him, not kill him."

"I think the Rain Flush would be our best bet...acid rain would definitely do a number to human flesh." Metal Man nodded.

"I'll tell Elec Man when he gets back," the older Kaiser stated before pausing and blinking, glancing around, "Where did he go, anyway?"

* * * * *

One thing I'd wished I'd known before I left the fortress: this disguise was _uncomfortable_. Maybe ransacking Metal Man's closet wasn't quite the best idea after all, considering how much shorter and thinner he is than me.

_ ( I told you to wear the overalls, but did you listen to me? Nooope! )_

_ Shut up._

Humans walked and ran around me, crossing the streets, jogging down the sidewalks, pouring in and out of buildings. I guess I didn't look _too_ out of place since I hadn't received any odd glances yet.

_ ( Save that dog that tried to use you for a chew toy. )_

_ Hey, at least my reaction was convincing._

_ ( Heh. )_

I weaved through the masses of humans as carefully as I could, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as I continued to follow the three in front of me, two of which weren't even human. They were dressed casually enough so that they fooled the other humans around them, yet were still obvious to me. Hopefully I wasn't as obvious to them. That was the main reason why I had ransacked Metal Man's closet instead of using my own clothes for a disguise -- so they wouldn't recognize me as easily.

( You do know, don't you, that Crystal Man is going to have kittens if he finds out about this? )

Rock was staggering down the sidewalk, holding the dozens of boxes and sacks Roll was forcing him to carry. Dr. Light was walking ahead of them, looking around with Roll, wondering which store to go into next. Crystal Man was going to _kill _me if he found out that I was spying on them. I managed to get closer to them without them noticing me and listened to the conversation between the three of them.

"Dr. Light, have you noticed anything unusual happening with Wily and his group lately?" Rock asked, slowly moving one foot in front of the other so he wouldn't trip.

"If you can call it that..." Dr. Light answered, "There's an unusual amount of activity going on at Wily's first fortress." Shit. It was one problem after another, and we hadn't even declared war yet. Yay. I hadn't even thought that they might be monitoring the old fortresses...

_ ( You're just a regular screw-up, lately, aren't you? )_

"Unusual amount? What do you mean by that?" Roll asked, curious.

"There has been movement inside for the first time in the past eight years," Dr. Light answered, "Not much, but movement nonetheless."

"Movement?" Rock groaned. If he didn't fall over eventually, I'd be surprised.

Dr. Light nodded. "I think there's someone in there repairing everything. More and more computers are coming online, and the amount of movement is increasing slightly from smaller robots being repaired and reactivated."

"Want me to check it out?"

"If you would. We may not get around to it today, but things are progressing slowly as far as I can tell, so check it out in a few days." Rock nodded.

Great.

"What do you want me to do, exactly?" Dr. Light thought about that for a minute.

"I'd think snoop around and see exactly what's going on," Roll muttered, dusting off her skirt.

"Nah, that's Blues' job," Rock joked.

_ ( Even if it _is_ the truth. )_

Great. That made me even more paranoid about them finding out everything. Had Blues been snooping around our fortress like he always had around Wily's? More than likely. He'd probably noticed our activity long before Dr. Light did. Sometimes I wonder if Ring Man had gotten his ability to sneak around and steal things from Blues. I wouldn't have put it past him. Either of them.

"No," Dr. Light finally answered, "Stop whatever is going on there immediately before it gets out of hand." I don't know why it pissed me off since I should have seen it coming, but it did. Hmph.

_ Just for that, I'm breaking into the lab tonight and stealing some crap just to spite 'em._

_ ( WHOO!! )_

I stayed with them, just a few feet behind, but as inconspicuous as I could be, just in case I could learn anything else. The Voice started rambling even more than it usually did.

_ ( Steal some plans for some upgrades and some maps and some plans for some li'l robots and some books and some more plans and some CHOCOLATE and some MORE plans... )_

I tried to shove it into its little box like I usually did when I didn't want to listen to it, but that turned out to be a very difficult task.

_ ( And then we can ransack the kitchen and throw flour everywhere and frame Rock so Roll screams at him and he gets is such big trouble that he can't come to the fortress! )_

Do you get the feeling that the Voice was looking forward to it?

_ ( And _then_ we can use the ketchup and mustard from the kitchen to write "Wily wuz here" all over the bathroom and living room walls to piss off Roll even more! WAHAHA! )_

I'd created a monster.

_ ( Hey, at least you can give me a few points for having a sense of humor. )_

_ Yeah. A retarded one._

_ ( Hmph! )_

* * * * *

Dr. Wily dusted his hands off, snatching up a polishing rag and sliding it over the metal casing of each recently finished, robotic leg and the mechanical waist connecting them until he could nearly see his reflection in the green and gold metal. They were a fine piece of work, even if he did say so, himself. He had designed them to be light for enhanced agility and speed, but also strong so they would not crumple when struck as Centaur Man's equine legs were often threatened with. Now all that needed to be done was to replace the equine body with the new, bipedal one.

Dr. Wily paused, contemplating the wisdom of completely doing away with the equine body. While it may have been useless in rocky terrain and just about any other terrain that was not flat and bare, it was incredibly fast, and the diamond-edged hooves could kick through solid titanium when enough force was applied. Dr. Wily stroked his chin, wondering if there was a way to keep both.

* * * * *

Crystal Man and Magnet Man gallantly resisted punching their respective monitors in as they received probably their two-hundredth "access denied" message within the past hour. "God _DAMN_ it!" Magnet Man roared, beating his fists on the control console out of frustration, "Why the _hell_ does Wily have to have such a damned hard password?! What the hell could he have _on_ here that requires such security?!"

"I don't know..." Crystal Man grumbled, rubbing his face and sighing, "I've tried every password I can think of...'destruction', 'kill-mega-man', 'domination'...hell, I even tried 'freaking-hard-password'."

"Oh, believe me," Magnet Man muttered, "It's going to be something stupid. One of the older passwords was 'recycle'." Crystal Man boggled at the thought.

"Something stupid, huh..." he muttered, turning back to his own console and typing in random babble. He nearly fell out of his chair screaming with laughter when he finally entered the insanely secure set of folders and blocks.

The highly secured block which had been protected by the password 'I-like-ice-cream'.

* * * * *

Dr. Wily dusted his hands off and polished the metal casing once more after installing the program and device he had created to enable Centaur Man to transform between his equine lower body and his bipedal form. It was an even finer piece of work than the bipedal form, itself. He only regretted that he could not test it before transferring the bipedal form to Centaur Man's body. No matter. If it did not work, it would not take too much effort to fix the problem.

He turned on his communications console and sent out a call throughout the Skull Fortress.

* * * * *

Centaur Man rubbed the back of his neck, confused. Elec Man had been nowhere to be found at the Kaisers' fortress as far as Metal Man knew, and Centaur Man had not been able to find him at Dr. Wily's fortress, either. It was as if he had vanished. Magnet Man probably would have merely snorted at the thought that the Kaisers' unofficial "leader" had gone missing.

A thought crossed the youngest Kaiser's mind that Elec Man had broken his promise to Crystal Man and had left to spy on Dr. Light and Rock, but Centaur Man tossed the thought aside. He did not think that Elec Man would risk getting caught again.

_ Would he...?_

Dr. Wily's voice blaring over the old-fashioned speaker system of the fortress tore through Centaur Man's thoughts. "**Centaur Man!**" the scientist's voice barked, "**Come to my quarters immediately. It's time to try out this new lower half.**"

Centaur Man's blood ran cold.


	7. v1.5

v1.5

The polishing rag slid smoothly over the shining, deep red wood of the harp, caressing every pattern, nook, and curve. The strings shone brightly in the light of the room, each colored string made of strong cord to withstand fast-paced songs and tightened to perfect tuning. Siberian tigers chased their prey across the wood as nightingales and Russian bluebreasts flew overhead, each detail painstakingly carved to perfection from the ripples of the water to the blades of grass to the birds' feathers to the strands of fur on the tigers' muscular frames. The Russian landscape was impossible to mistake.

A girl sitting under a tree watched the tigers in awe, her father standing beside her. A boy, taller than the girl, but shorter than the father, stood not far from them, also watching the tigers as they tromped and ran free. Closer inspection of the boy would have proven that he wore armor, not clothing as the girl and her father wore. His wistful expression was carved into the wood and was so lifelike, one might expect the carving to sigh at any moment.

The harp was a true work of art, and its maker, also its owner, was very proud of it, polishing it lovingly with one hand, pulling out a sheet of music with the other. The harpist cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers, raising them to the harp strings. An experimental stroke of all the strings was made to be sure all cords were in perfect tune, and the harpist closed his eyes and plucked each string as needed.

The song began slow, melancholy, wistful, and with a flick of the wrist, it suddenly radiated fear, as if the song was anticipating horrible, excruciating pain.

* * * * *

Centaur Man gallantly kept his steps firm and strong as he loped into Dr. Wily's quarters. He did not look at the table where his new lower half lay, his stomach twisting and churning with fear. Would he survive this operation? He wished he knew.

Dr. Wily waved Centaur Man closer to the table, and the youngest Kaiser forced himself to stop breathing lest he accidentally exhale a whimper of dread, making sure to keep his face as blank as possible.

The scientist turned away, and Centaur Man clenched his hands into fists to keep them from trembling. Dr. Wily turned back to him, brandishing a welding torch, several tools Centaur Man had never before seen, and a huge knife. It was all Centaur Man could do to keep his eyes from widening as his gaze locked onto the blade.

As Dr. Wily stepped over to Centaur Man to begin, the youngest Kaiser heard something whisper in the back of his mind.

_ ~ It is not yet your time. ~_

Darkness surrounded Centaur Man, and the world faded away.

* * * * *

The song sped in pace as each string of the harp was plucked, fear and confusion riding on the music. The forefront of the music was alive with pain and suffering while something laughed in the backdrop, amused by the louder notes' "wails".

* * * * *

Pain gripped at Centaur Man's abdomen as he opened his eyes. Incredible, nauseating pain burned into his stomach. Each movement of air sent his nerves aflame, and his stomach twisted in an effort to convulse and make him throw up, but something prevented it. The only thing Centaur Man was fully aware of was the horrible, tormenting pain.

He could not feel any of his legs, nor anything else from the waist down. His eyes focused on and off as he attempted to see what was happening. He lay on the floor -- or, at least, half of him did. Centaur Man spasmed and let out a silent scream as he looked down at where his body from the waist down used to be. Wires that acted as his nerves lay exposed on the ground as did pipes which normally circulated his blood.

Dr. Wily was across the room, back to the hysterical robot on the floor as he installed the transformation module into the equine body. Centaur Man's screams were silent as his brain further awakened, acknowledging every fraction of pain he received. He never acknowledged the fact that something had happened to his voice, muting him, and that he was not bleeding to death. In fact, no blood stained the room at all. It was as if something had removed his entire bloodstream.

A tingle in the back of his mind grew tired of his hysteria, and he was once again sent into blessed blackness.

* * * * *

The fear in the music tapered off, but did not disappear, as the laughing tone overcame it. Both were soon replaced by a sound of worry and anticipation. The harpist decided that he liked this tune better, and continued to stroke the strings.

* * * * *

I slipped down the next alley I came across. I'd been following Rock, Dr. Light, and Roll for at least two hours now, and they had not released any more information that would be worthwhile. After this long, they probably weren't going to. I needed to get back to the fortress, anyway, and warn the others about what was going to happen most likely in the morning. The thought made my stomach churn.

_ ( Not to mention the fact that Crystal Man is going to have your hide. )_

I walked down the alley far enough that I was out of sight of the street so no one would see me when I teleported. I fumbled for the teleporter, listening idly to the Voice's ramblings about what Crystal Man would likely do to me, and froze. I wasn't alone.

"Been a while, Elec Man."

* * * * *

Surprise shot into the music like an arrow, followed by confusion, worry, and a hint of malice. The notes were not happy with something that had happened. The harpist liked the tune even better than the last.

* * * * *

Damn it, am I really _that_ obvious?

I turned around, covertly charging up my weapon, the Thunder Beam as I looked around the alley to see who had followed me.

"So...what have you been up to?" he asked, his voice monotone as always. He wore an outfit much like the one I had my first night of spying on Dr. Light -- black slacks, a black trench coat, mirror shades, and black boots, his shirt hidden by a bright yellow scarf tucked into the front of the coat. Black hair spilled over his eyes behind the sunglasses, but he ignored it. I didn't know whether to greet him, ignore him, or curse him. Zapping him was an option, too, but I figured that would just piss him off.

Blues just grinned at me.

* * * * *

A hint of longing crept into the music, followed by a strong feeling of malice. The notes could not decide what to make of the new ones, whether they should welcome the new tone or strike it and take over again.

* * * * *

I could have sworn he was mocking me with that grin. He just repeated, "What have you been up to?" The way he said it, you would think that he could just sit around all day waiting for an answer. "Spying on Rock, I can see, though." Damn. I really _am_ that obvious...shit.

"I don't see how it's any of your business." It came out a growl. I hadn't meant for it to, but oh, well.

_ ( Oh, yeah. You sure told him. )_

_ Shut up._

"I know you're the one who's been booting up Wily's old fortress, Elec Man," Blues countered, keeping his voice monotonous as usual, "Why?"

_ ( Why, indeed? )_

"Wily ordered it," I answered, calm. The Voice swore at me.

Blues just looked at me for a moment before tilting his head and responding, "Any idiot who snoops around Wily's place as much as I do knows that you don't take orders from him."

_ ( Tell him! Tell hiiiiim! )_

"I'm afraid you're getting rusty, then. Wily ordered me to see that the fortress was restored." Hell, Rock was going to storm the place soon, anyway. Might as well go with it. The Voice started screaming at me, making a pathetic attempt to beat me over the head. It was just an annoyance.

_ ( Tell him, damn you!! )_

_ Shut...up..._

Blues first looked miffed, and then amused. I didn't realize until it was too late that I'd snapped at the Voice out loud.

_ ( You don't understand, damn it. He _has_ to know! )_

_ Forget it. I'm not letting you kick me into screwing up anymore._

"Now, if you'll excuse me..." Blues tried to leap at me, but I teleported away before he had much of a chance.

* * * * *

The pain was back as well as the fear. The harp strings vibrated and trembled as the music impossibly seemed to moan in pain.

* * * * *

Centaur Man let another mute scream escape his throat as he was jerked back to awareness, his nerves a blazing inferno of pain. Dr. Wily did not see nor feel him jerk, working on finishing welding Centaur Man to his new lower body. Centaur Man wailed silently, trying to swing his fists at the scientist, but his body would not respond. He was mute and paralyzed by something, but he knew not what. A whisper in the back of his mind laughed at him, laughed at his hysteria, even as Dr. Wily began the finishing touches on the operation.

* * * * *

The pain in the music finally died off, and was replaced by a dull, monotonous stroke of strings, as if the music was descending into death. Confusion piped up after a moment, followed by exhaustion and a feeling as if a few of the notes suddenly had a detached sense of reality.

* * * * *

Centaur Man's new legs moved underneath him unwavering, but he was not conscious of it. His body was moving on its own as it attempted to find a safe area; to hide in, most likely. The memory of the pain still burned fresh in his memory, and probably would for ages. He was not aware of his movement, not aware of the floor as he stared down at it, his eyes dead. The world around him was not acknowledged. Only the memory of the pain sat before him.

He was vaguely aware of reaching a storage room and reaching for his teleporter, reappearing in the Kaisers' fortress. His awareness was suddenly forced to return violently, and his legs buckled underneath him. He clung to whoever it was that caught him before he hit the floor, gripping their arms so tightly it dented their armor. He could not control his trembling, and he broke down, hiding his face in the shoulder of the Kaiser holding him.

Crystal Man tried unsuccessfully to comfort him.

* * * * *

The music faded softly, as if slipping into unconsciousness as the harpist's song ended. The last remnants of the notes were dispelled as someone clapped slowly behind him. "Not bad," came Magnet Man's voice, "Not bad at all..."

Ring Man felt his face flush; not only because of the compliment, but because Magnet Man had been the commenter. "I didn't know you played the harp," Magnet Man added. Ring Man looked away as more heat crept to his face.

"Kalinka...took a few lessons a long time ago..." he responded timidly, absently plucking one harp string over and over again, "I spied on her lessons until she quit. When Dr. Cossack told me to get rid of her harp since she wasn't going to play it anymore, I hid it instead and practiced, myself." He retrieved the polishing cloth and slid it over the wood of the harp, rubbing the carvings of the father and daughter, identical likenesses to Dr. Cossack and Kalinka, and the boy, himself. Magnet Man nodded. He knew mentioning the Russian scientist was a touchy subject with Ring Man, just like mentioning Dr. Light was painful for Elec Man. "I made this one in my spare time a few years ago."

"Know any other songs?" Magnet Man asked idly.

"One. But I'd need Metal Man to help, and he's busy," came the timid answer. Magnet Man blinked, but said nothing.

_ "Magnet Man!"_ Crystal Man's voice suddenly barked over the speaker system, _"Take over the reprogramming for me. Metal Man and Ring Man, come to the secondary control tower. I need your help with something."_

* * * * *

"Holy..." Metal Man gaped.

"Oh, my god..." Ring Man muttered.

"Could you stop staring and help me pry him off?" Crystal Man hissed, "If he tightens his grip much more, he's going to break my arms." Centaur Man did not move, trembling, his face hidden in the bend of Crystal Man's neck. The two Kaisers were on the floor, Centaur Man's new legs folded and limp, an equine tail twitching on the metallic floor panels. The new armor was brightly colored and gleaming, standing out dramatically against the old, dulled armor of Centaur Man's upper half. Metal Man cringed. He had promised Centaur Man that they would find a way to avoid this, and that promise had just been broken.

Metal Man and Ring Man stood on either side of their fellow Kaisers and tried to pry Centaur Man's death grip from Crystal Man's arms, pulling Centaur Man's hands away from the dented metal of Crystal Man's armor. Centaur Man's hands twitched, restraining, trying to cling to something -- anything. Once he was pulled away and Crystal Man had backed out of reach, Centaur Man twisted around and clung to the closest replacement. Metal Man yelped, but waved Ring Man and Crystal Man away when they tried to help. Centaur Man did not put a death grip on him, so he saw no need in trying to pry him off -- besides, the youngest Kaiser needed comforting right now.

It was a rather odd sight -- the larger, and still taller, Centaur Man clinging to the much shorter and smaller Metal Man like a drowning man would cling to a rope. Had it been under any other circumstances, it probably would have been amusing. Metal Man sighed and nodded to the doorway. Crystal Man and Ring Man made no complaints as they left quietly, leaving Metal Man to try to coax Centaur Man into relaxing.

* * * * *

Dr. Wily drummed his fingers across the keyboard thoughtfully, thinking back to the operation earlier. The extra pipes in Centaur Man's body had proved to be useless, containing nothing -- not even oil or other lubricants. However, the wires intrigued the scientist. He remembered the way the extra wires twitched and sparked slightly when touched. Curious, he had removed a long strand of the wiring to dissect and make notes on later, and had been further intrigued by the fact that the wires were netted and tapered, very much like human nerves. As Dr. Wily glanced over to his examination table and at the microscope upon which the wiring lay, he stroked his chin, remembering the feature about the wiring that was the most curious of all.

It was decomposing.

* * * * *

Elec Man missed his chance. 

( _Damn_ it! That bastard! )

[ Well, did you _honestly_ expect him to obey you? You have been annoying him for the past eight years, Pathos. He is not going to obey so readily. ]

( Shut up, Charos. I don't need your lectures. )

^ He is not the only fool in our midst. ^

~ And how was I supposed to know Wily would take some of Centaur Man's nerves? ~

Why did you leave his nerves activated, anyway? Do you _enjoy_ feeling your host's agony?! 

~ You already know my answer. ~

* You are all fools. You must learn to manipulate your hosts better if we are to succeed! *

[ At least most of us do not thrive on our hosts' fear and suffering... ]

~ Fear is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. ~

( You two are insane... )

* Hmph. My host will pass his test or suffer my wrath. *

^ Your host has suffered enough these past seven years! ^

Yes. Let him be at rest. 

* I think not. He is mine, and I will do with him as I wish. It is time you saw why I am the strongest... *

( You're mad. Duo will have your shadowed soul for this. )

* Correct me if I am wrong, Pathos...but when did I say that I feared Duo? *


	8. v1.6

v1.6

"And so Metal Man told us to leave him alone with Centaur Man," Ring Man finished with a yawn as he shifted the weight of the large computer console in his hands, ignoring the dull throb in his biceps that was starting to become annoying, "He'll probably have the best luck getting him back under control. I can't even _imagine_ how much that must have hurt..."

"Hmm..." Magnet Man grunted from his end of the console as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure he would not trip over anything as he walked backwards. He looked back to Ring Man once they reached the flight of stairs they were supposed to carry the console down and hissed, "Okay, put it down for a minute." Ring Man complied gladly, rubbing his arms and flexing his shoulders. Magnet Man cracked his neck and leaned against the console, looking it over. "You would think...that since we're both robots, just ONE of us would be able to carry this thing, but nooo..."

"Tell me about it..." Ring Man muttered, "C'mon. Let's go open that door so we won't have to pick this thing back up more than once." Magnet Man nodded, and the two started for the stairway.

However, as soon as they approached the first step, both caught the tips of their boots in a slightly raised floor panel, were thrown off balance, and sent tumbling down the stairway with a lot of muffled yelps, swears, and howls. With a final swear, Magnet Man landed roughly on his stomach at the base of the stairs and tried to push himself back up just in time for Ring Man to land rear end first on his head. The hallways echoed with Ring Man's scream.

* * * * *

Metal Man gave a silent sigh of relief when he finally managed to pry Centaur Man's death grip from his arms, Centaur Man instead opting to run his fingers through his tail as he sat on the floor, legs still limp underneath him. Metal Man sat cross-legged in front of Centaur Man, feeling dwarfed as he just then realized just how large Centaur Man really was. He had never paid it any heed before, as the equine body had tended to be misleading, but now the evidence was clear.

Centaur Man was huge compared to Metal Man.

Although not near the size of Needle Man or Guts Man, Centaur Man was still a large Robot Master, but Metal Man had a feeling it was all height and armor bulk. The youngest Kaiser most likely stood at a good six-foot-eight, making Metal Man feel dwarfed at his own five-foot-one and also making him the tallest of the small group, out-doing even Elec Man's height of six-foot-four. Underneath the bulky armor, he was probably muscular, but not too much. Metal Man mentally nodded. The size was most likely a ruse made by the armor, especially the new, large boots.

"Centaur Man...just calm down--"

"Calm down?!" Centaur Man screeched, jumping slightly, as if surprised to hear his own voice, "Do you have _any_ idea how much that hurt?! It felt like he was shoving a Knight Chain into my gut and twisting it around!" Ice blue eyes turned back down to the floor as he shivered.

"Does it still hurt?" Metal Man asked patiently. Centaur Man hesitated, but shook his head. "Then you should calm down."

"But my back's numb..." Metal Man blinked.

"Numb?"

Centaur Man nodded. "R-Right here..." He reached behind himself, barely brushing his fingers across the small of his back, right over his spine, touching carefully as if he was afraid he would set his back on fire at any moment. "I...I saw just before he made me leave...he...he took out some of my nerves..." Metal Man sighed. Things were getting worse and worse.

Metal Man sighed again and stood up. "Come on...let's have Crystal Man look you over." Centaur Man just stared up at him, almost embarrassed. "Well? Come on."

"...I..."

"What?"

"...I don't know how to walk on two legs..."

* * * * *

"...of all things I could check over and repair..." Crystal Man sighed, rubbing his forehead in a vain attempt to dispel a growing headache, "I never expected to be checking a bruised butt."

"Would you kindly stop complaining and make sure I'm not bleeding?" Ring Man sulked as Magnet Man shifted the icepack on his forehead.

Crystal Man sighed, turning away, "Trust me, Ring Man. Your butt's not bleeding." Ring Man sniffed, but snatched his pants from the table, muttering about how it would take forever to sew the seat back up.

"Well, excuse me," the brown and gold Kaiser sniffed, "But it's not exactly a thrilling experience getting a magnet on someone's helmet shoved up your butt. Damn...I don't think I'll be able to sit down right for a week..."

"You're walking funny," Magnet Man muttered. Ring Man glowered.

"I'm not surprised!" he snapped, sulking.

"Well, how was I supposed to know you'd land on my head ass first?!" Magnet Man snapped back. The two robots proceeded to yell at each other about whose fault it was and who should have tried to move sooner. Crystal Man glanced at them and sighed.

"...I need some aspirin..."

* * * * *

Getting inside the lab was the easy part. Bypassing the security system was the tricky part.

_( We're gonna break into the laaaab! )_

I still say I created a monster.

There weren't any _real_ security mechanisms except for cameras. Nothing like what I was used to at Wily's place. No cannons hidden in the walls, no trap doors, no holographic floors with spike pits at the bottom. Just...bare hallway.

I'd found Blues' room -- dust covered and bare as it was -- and had confiscated his pillowcase to stuff things into as I found them. I wasn't really after anything special. Just stealing a few things to get back at the future storming of our castle, so to speak. Childish, yes, but fun nonetheless.

Everyone was asleep as far as I knew. Rush was in Rock's room, Beat was in Roll's room, Dr. Light had snored Tango and Eddie out of his room, and Auto was at his workshop. Clouds outside promised snow soon, and it was only then that I realized how close it was to Christmas.

With a pillowcase slung over my shoulder while I snuck around in the dark, I suddenly felt like Santa Claus.

_ ( Ho ho ho! )_

Silently thanking the Voice for my sudden craving for cookies and milk, I slipped into the recreational room. Most of what I saw that would be noticeable if it was stolen was too big for the pillowcase and too bulky for me to carry.

_ ( What about some of Rock's CDs? )_

Okay, so maybe not everything. I knew from experience that Rock listened to his CDs almost daily; his two-CD Two-Mix album in particular, so I snatched it from the top of the stereo. The Playstation and two of its games were next, followed by Roll's feather duster. I'm innocent, I swear.

I didn't see anything else in the rec room worth taking, so I went into the kitchen next. And Roll just _had_ to have a bucket of cookies out, didn't she? And they just_ had_ to be chocolate chunk, my favorite, didn't they? No one ever said I had good self control, but at least I didn't take all of the cookies. Around then I started getting careless, but at least there weren't any cameras in the kitchen.

Six cookies and two glasses of milk later, I left the kitchen, stuffing Roll's recipe box into the pillowcase.

( Where to now, Santa? )

_ Oh, shut up._

The securely locked door to the main lab stood in front of me, the only way in mocking me. The panel in the wall to the right of the large, metal door flashed a small, red light every now and then to confirm that the voice lock was on. I knew from experience that if a voice and name failed to be recognized three times in a row, the real security system would activate. I knew because I had messed with it a few times a long time ago. Hey, I was newly activated. I had every right to be an annoyingly curious son of a bitch.

_ ( How many times _did_ you set off the alarms? )_

_ ...seven..._

The Voice was silent for a moment before tearing into insane, cackling laughter.

_ ( I remember that, now! Wily kept threatening to send you to the scrap yard if you did it again, and Light always took your side! )_

_ Yeah. They thought I was just a prankster._ Truth be told, I was exactly what I just said I was. An annoyingly curious son of a bitch.

The neuter, monotone voice of the voice lock asked me to state my name, making me jump slightly. Nervous? Who, me?

**_ State name_**, it asked again.

"...um...Elec Man..?" Okay, so it was stupid. Luckily, the computer didn't recognize the name at all. It didn't only not recognize it as someone who lived here, it didn't recognize it at _all_. I thought that was rather stupid, but...

**_ No match found._** It paused a moment before asking yet again, **_State name._** I cleared my throat and tried Rock's name just for the hell of things. **_Name found._** There was a pause. **_Voice does not match._**

_ ( Try your name. )_

_ I just did. It didn't work. Three strikes and I'm out, you know._

_ ( No. Try _your_ name. )_

It took a minute for me to remember what the Voice was talking about, and once I did remember, a wave of nostalgia fell over me. It had been too long since I'd been called that.

**_ State name._**

"...Min..."

**_ Voice match confirmed._**

The door slid up, exposing the computer lab. I stood there, staring for a minute. Why hadn't Dr. Light taken our old names out of the voice lock? Maybe he figured Wily had completely erased our memories when he reprogrammed and renamed us. Or maybe he just forgot.

The lab was still its usual, cluttered mess. Roll must not have been allowed to clean it up. Probably wouldn't have done any good, anyway. Somewhere under the mass of papers, boxes, spare parts, and tools, there were two metal tables. The only remotely clean area was around the two chairs in front of the large supercomputer. Pathetic.

I stepped through the mess of papers on the floor over to a set of blueprints that caught my eye. From the brief glance I got at it, it looked to be the blueprints to a single-passenger space transport as well as the plans to a hoverboard. Simple and to the point. I shrugged and rolled them up, stuffing them into the pillowcase. I wrote a note on a piece of scrap paper I found on the floor and taped it to the monitor, reaching for my teleporter.

_ ( Aww...c'mon. Set off one of the alarms! You seem to be an expert at it, anyway. )_

Why not?

* * * * *

A chorus of klaxons and alarms went off at once, making Rock howl and nearly fall clear out of his bed. A distant cackle came from deep within the lab before fading shortly after Rock, Roll, and Dr. Light stumbled out of their rooms, rushing to the main lab to see what was happening.

"Are we under attack?" Roll demanded, cutting herself off with a yelp upon seeing that the doors to the main lab were wide open. Rock leaped into the room, ready to fight the intruder, but there was no one to fight.

"Computer! Cease alarm!" Dr. Light called over the blaring klaxons, and the alarms cut off abruptly.

"Dr. Light!" Rock called, and the scientist and Roll stumbled into the room, blinking. Taped to the monitor was a note, simple and to the point.

_ Was it nostalgia or plain forgetfulness that made you keep me in the voice lock's files? Well, if you want your stuff back, I've dumped it at Wily's third fortress' ruins. Oh, and take my advice. Don't leave us in the lock's archive again._

-- Min

"Min...?" Roll muttered.

Dr. Light blinked. "...Elec Man...?"

* * * * *

Home again, home again, jiggity jig. I appeared in what we had designated as the 'lounge' for lack of a better word and sighed, hoping there weren't any more emergencies or problems that I needed to stress over. I needed a shower and a nap. And maybe some cookies. I wished I'd kept that damn bucket.

Roll's recipe box was in my hand, and the blueprints were tucked under my arm, the only two things that I'd kept. Sure, I'd return them eventually. After copying everything. I wanted that cookie recipe, damn it.

_ ( And how are you going to get the ingredients? )_

...oh, bah.

It wasn't much of a lounge, but it was the only place in the fortress where we felt that we could relax other than our bedrooms. We'd managed to furnish pretty much all of our rooms plus the lounge in just four trips to the Tokyo junkyard. You'd be surprised at the stuff people throw out. One of the mattresses only had one spring punching through the corner, two were only stained, one had part of the covering ripped off of one side, and mine had a few springs punching out, but that was easily remedied by just turning the mattress over and sleeping on the other side. And no, we didn't find many frames, so three of us are stuck just sleeping on our mattress on the floor; Centaur Man, Magnet Man, and me. Centaur Man always slept in the floor, anyway, so he'd insisted on not bothering to get a mattress for him.

The lounge had a couch that was missing most of one of the cushions, two papasan chairs with stained cushions, and a round table that still smelled like dead fish no matter how much Metal Man cleaned and scrubbed it. I wouldn't put it past him if he replaced it eventually. Next thing we had to do would be to get some things for the kitchen _( and see if the stove and microwave still work )_.

Ring Man limped in and called upon seeing me, "Hey, Elec Man! If your arse hurts, would you use BenGay?" I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to react to that greeting.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I had a feeling I was going to be sorry I asked.

Ring Man answered, "Well, I'm sorry! It's a very unpleasant experience getting a magnet shoved up your butt!"

Magnet Man poked his head in and snapped, "I _told_ you to try to move, damn it!" With a huff, he ducked back out, grumbling. I stared at Ring Man, confused and dumbstruck.

"...now, I knew you were..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence, and I guess he didn't hear me.

"Cripes, that thing _hurt_...I didn't expect it to be so damned hard."

"...do I even want to know what you two were _doing_?"

Ring Man blinked. "Moving that broken computer console like you told us to." My confusion must have shown since he continued, "We fell down the stairs and I landed on his head." I resisted slapping my forehead and just sighed.

"Oh...I don't know. Sit on an icepack, I guess." I shook my head, trying to ward away a growing headache. "Where's everybody else?"

"Magnet Man's working on the cryptograms, and Metal Man and Crystal Man are working on calming down Centaur Man."

"Calming him down?" Ring Man nodded.

"Wily finished his legs sooner than we thought he would." My stomach clenched.

"Already?" Ring Man nodded again. "Aw shit...how much blood did he lose?"

"That's the weird thing...he told us he wasn't bleeding at all. And he couldn't move. Or speak. As far as he noticed, Wily didn't suspect a thing." He shrugged. "You'll have to ask him, yourself." I nodded and sighed. Was this entire month one insanely long Friday the thirteenth, or was it just me?


	9. v1.7

_v1.7_

"...you don't feel this at _all_?" Crystal Man asked, blinking repeatedly, dumbfounded.

"No..." Centaur Man answered, "What are you doing?"

"He's prodding you with a knife," Metal Man answered. Crystal Man scratched his head and poked Centaur Man higher up in his back, finally receiving a sharp yelp as a reaction.

"Weird..." he muttered, "You've got one huge numb spot right near the base of your spine."

Centaur Man half-glared at him over his shoulder and grumbled, "_I_ told _you_ that. I saw him take out some of my nerves."

"Shit..." I swore, catching their attention as I stepped into the room, "One problem after another...he's going to study that and likely figure things out from there. And unless ours work differently from humans, your nerves aren't going to grow back." He quite obviously resisted wincing.

"If I'd known that this was going to cause so much trouble, I wouldn't have said anything to him..." he sighed, returning to swinging his feet like a bored toddler as he sat on the examination table, tail swaying every now and then.

"Well, it's too late now." I shook my head. "But at least it'll be easier for you to get around in parts of Wily's castle whenever we attack now..."

"What are you doing in my clothes?" Metal Man asked. The Voice broke into a fit of cackling, and I cringed. Crystal Man was going to kill me.

"I...um...followed Dr. Light and Rock around today." I looked away from them, rubbing the back of my neck. You know the "look" that human women are infamous for using when they're mad at their boyfriends or husbands? I was getting it times three. Four, actually, since Ring Man was still behind me. I could feel Magnet Man's grin from the next room. Did I mention that he doesn't like me? "...can I defend myself before you all scream at me?"

"Let's hear it." I never thought I'd hear Metal Man growl like that. Almost made me want to slink away with my tail between my legs. Almost.

"I found out that they know something's going on here, and Rock's going to storm the place tomorrow or the day after."

"Aw shit..." was the response. Actually, Metal Man said "aw crud".

_ ( He _is_ the one who keeps threatening to wash your mouth out. )_

Very true. I don't think I've _ever _heard Metal Man swear.

"The security systems aren't online yet," Crystal Man growled, "And there are only a few Mets up and running."

"If Centaur Man wasn't down, we could attack tomorrow..." Ring Man sighed. Centaur Man's shoulders hunched. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die.

"No..." I answered, "I don't think we could." I looked at Metal Man and Centaur Man. "Unless you two have finished planning the attack."

Metal Man ran his fingers through his hair and answered, "We haven't gotten all the kinks worked out yet...but we've figured out which Robot Master we need to use." He looked around me to Ring Man. "Be ready to control Toad Man whenever we _do_ attack just in case Elec Man or I can't for some reason." Ring Man nodded.

"Are we going to fight him or hide when he comes...?" Centaur Man asked, looking up from where he'd been staring at his feet.

"I move for hiding," Crystal Man muttered, "He's always won before, and if he manages to get either Ring Man's or Metal Man's weapon, three of us are screwed." Metal Man and I cringed at the thought. Both of us and Crystal Man were weak against blade weapons, especially Metal Man and myself. One direct hit with his own weapon would kill Metal Man, and three direct hits would kill me.

And it was very true that he always won. Every one of us had suffered a beating by his hands once before. I remembered my fight with him as if it had happened just a few minutes ago. I also remembered being coherent the whole time after he defeated me. My chest and stomach were torn open, my left arm from just below the elbow was gone, and my spine had been severed. And I had been coherent from the moment he defeated me until Dr. Wily and Cut Man found me seven months later. I still had nightmares about the pain and seeing shadows crawl around on the walls. The Voice claimed to be the only reason why I had survived.

I'd always felt alone back then. None of the other five in my army were alive like me, and I had to hide it from Dr. Wily, so I was constantly feeling lonely. Then Dr. Wily built the second army, and, with them, the second Kaiser. Metal Man and I had quickly become friends, and I welcomed the company. When Dr. Wily sent him out to siege the robot factory, I had followed him. I knew Rock would defeat him, but I didn't want to lose my only friend in the Skull Fortress. I remember hiding behind a loose panel in the wall and watching them fight. Rock always had been a good fighter, but compared to Metal Man's style, he was sloppy. Very sloppy. Metal Man always waited for him to make the first move, jumping out of the way and returning fire with the grace of a swan. In my opinion, Rock fought like he was old wooden boards tied together with rotting rope, clunking together awkwardly; whereas, Metal Man was liquid metal, sliding along the floor and flowing through the air smoothly. But even that hadn't saved Metal Man. I remember seeing Rock tackle Metal Man and fire the last shot. Metal Man had stumbled backwards, his right tibia and fibula snapping like twigs and his chest and back exploding outwards as he collapsed. Rock dug around in his chest for a moment before taking out the matter transfer chip that powered Metal Man's weapon and teleported away.

Had I not been there to take Metal Man back to Skull Fortress, he would have suffered the same fate as I had; lying in the darkness in excruciating pain until someone either rescued him or killed him. Dr. Wily had repaired him, although I think he was confused as to why I didn't bother to bring anyone else back when they were defeated.

Oh, and the Robot Masters in the teleporting hatches? Solid holograms. Every one of us has only fought Rock once.

_ ( You're rambling. )_

I shook my head and said, "I don't know...if we stay, we'll fuel his suspicion that there's something going on here, but if we hide, he's likely to snoop through the computers and discover what we've been doing."

"So he'll know something's up, anyway..." Ring Man muttered.

Metal Man crossed his arms and spoke, "I say three of us stay, and three of us hide. If things start looking bad, the three that encounter him retreat and wipe out what we've done to the computers. We'll have to start over again from scratch, but he won't be able to figure out what we've been doing." The four of us nodded. It was as good a plan as any and made sense, although I knew Magnet Man would be pissed if he had to redo all of those cryptograms. I didn't blame him.

"But who's staying, and who's hiding?" Centaur Man asked.

"Well, you're definitely out," Ring Man answered, "And Crystal Man and Magnet Man have been away from Skull Fortress too long. Wily's probably really suspicious about them by now, so they should go, too." Crystal Man didn't look happy about it, but nodded anyway. "So that leaves me, Elec Man, and Metal Man."

"Right..." Metal Man muttered, "Okay...now with _that_ out of the way...Elec Man?"

"What?"

"Get out of my clothes."

* * * * *

Rock grumbled and sulked as he connected his Playstation back to the television, mentally kicking himself several times for not having his guard up. A select few of the security cameras had caught at least a glimpse of Elec Man as he had wandered aimlessly through the hallways, a pillowcase slung over his shoulder and a mischievous glint in his gold eyes. He had expertly avoided most of the cameras, but had purposely walked in front of one or two others, as if rubbing in the fact that he had broken in so easily. He had even stopped in front of one briefly to stick his tongue out at it, mocking Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll.

"He was probably staking out the lab the other day..." Roll muttered as she assessed everything that had been stolen and brought back, making sure everything was where it should be. She disappeared into the kitchen for a brief moment before running back out. "He took my recipe box!" Rock blinked, then shook his head as he finished reconnecting his Playstation and checking to make sure all of his games were where they should be. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, the clock on the wall reading three o'clock in the morning.

Dr. Light stepped into the room and spoke, "That wasn't all he kept." Rock and Roll immediately looked at him, interest captured. "He also stole, and kept, the plans to that experimental space transport I've been working on. The single-passenger one that I was going to use to upgrade Rush. And the plans to the hoverboards I was going to make for you and Roll."

Rock blinked. "Why would Wily want that?" he asked.

"Probably to upgrade Treble," Dr. Light muttered in response, "Or something even more dangerous." He shook his head. "I have a feeling this has something to do with the activity at that old fortress. You need to see what's going on there, Rock. And soon."

Rock nodded and answered, "I'll do it first thing in the morning." He yawned again. "No way I'll be able to do anything right now." Dr. Light nodded.

"First thing in the morning."

* * * * *

"Whoever that is, _STOP SNORING_!!" Metal Man all but screamed from down the hall.

Magnet Man snorted and groaned, "I've been up almost forty-five hours straight. Sue me!"

"Well, then find me a lawyer!"

"Shut up, both of you!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Irritable? Me? Not that I could sleep, anyway. Reason number one being that armor is very uncomfortable to sleep in. I honestly don't know how Metal Man does it every night. Then again, he doesn't have a huge chestplate keeping him from turning over easily.

_ ( He _does_ have all those sawblades, though... )_

Very true.

Reason number two being that I was too worried about not knowing when Rock was going to storm the fortress. And how we were going to keep him from figuring everything out. _And_ how we were going to survive if we got into a fight with him. As I said, we've all only fought him once before, and that was before our bodies developed a bloodstream. Now we had to worry about losing too much blood.

_ ( I don't know...since you didn't bleed before, he might freak if he finds that you bleed now. Might make him easier to detain. )_

I wished I believed that. Plus I wouldn't put it past Blues to show up tonight or just before Rock left to inform him that he knew that I had been spying on them. In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to be spying on _us_. I still think Ring Man took his sneaking lessons from him.

_ ( Just go to sleep. We'll figure all this out in the morning. )_

"Whose stomach is growling?" Ring Man called.

Oh yeah. That was reason number three.

"Not mine," Crystal Man yawned.

"Nope," Centaur Man answered. Metal Man just grumbled that his wasn't, and Magnet Man snored.

"Elec Man?"

Indigestion is a wonderful thing.

* * * * *

The smell of hazelnut and French vanilla floated through the air, the hallway filled with the intoxicating combination of odors that seemed to have a power all their own to draw sleepyheads to the kitchen and find out what that wonderful smell was.

Thank god. Someone _finally_ got the coffeemaker working.

Walking into the kitchen rewarded me with a wet dish towel to the face. "Oops," Crystal Man spoke, "Sorry, Elec Man."

"Well, I'm awake now," I muttered, pulling the dish towel off of my face.

"What do you want?" Ring Man asked, "Hazelnut, French vanilla, or regular?"

"Hazelnut," I answered, sitting down beside Centaur Man at the bar in the middle of the room. The kitchen was clean -- spotless, to be exact -- and overflowing with the smell of hazelnut and French vanilla. Magnet Man wasn't in the room, probably working on the cryptograms. Ring Man was at the coffeepot, waiting for the hazelnut to finish brewing while Crystal Man was picking stuff from the cabinets, making sure what was still edible and what wasn't. Most of it wasn't. Metal Man was cleaning the oven, and Centaur Man was just sitting at the bar, standing up every now and then to walk a few steps around the bar -- holding onto the edge and lashing his tail to keep his balance -- to strengthen his legs and slowly learn how to walk on his own.

"How are we going to buy groceries?" Metal Man asked when he looked up from the oven, walking over to the sink to clean off the crap from the oven that had gotten onto his hands. It was then that I noticed that I was really the only one in the room who was fully armored. Metal Man's literally blood red hair was frequently getting in his face. Ring Man's light brown hair was a perfect contrast to his malachite green eyes. Centaur Man's hair was also light brown, long bangs falling over his face to hide his left, soft blue eye.

"That's a good question..." Centaur Man muttered, yawning, "We don't have any money."

"Well, food isn't really vital, anyway..." Crystal Man pointed out, "We can do without it."

"Maybe we can steal one of Wily's credit cards..." Metal Man offered, "Or sell this dopey-looking helmet of Elec Man's." I barely had time to react to what he said before he stole my helmet and ran across the room with it. I chased him around the kitchen for a few minutes, but he refused to drop my helmet, and in the end I had to molest him to get it back (it's not what it sounds like, I swear).

_ ( Oh, yes it was. )_

Okay, so it was. But he got a good laugh out of it.

Magnet Man came into the kitchen about the time I sat back down, bright red -- almost candy apple-colored -- hair falling down over his orange eyes. He glanced around the room and said two words which made Centaur Man fall flat off of his bar stool, Ring Man almost burn himself on the coffeepot, and Metal Man bang his head on the inside of the oven.

"Rock's here."

* * * * *

The Fortress was completely silent, covered with layers of dust. The fact that he had appeared _in_ the Fortress instead of outside in the courtyard was a surprise in itself. The ghostly silence was an even bigger surprise. The biggest surprise, however, was the complete and total lack of activity. The last time he had been in the Fortress almost eight years past, he had been attacked from every direction, especially on this floor -- the second.

Rock slowly stepped forward, glancing around cautiously as he neared a ladder which he knew would lead him down several floors toward the room where he had fought his solid hologram. A wave of nostalgia fell over him as he climbed down the ladder, remembering how he had fought for his life for the first time and how he had been forced to fight and kill his family. It all seemed so long ago. Seven other wars had come and gone since then, each with a new army of enemies. To be back in the Fortress that started it all and to see that it was still standing...

Rock shook his head and descended down the final ladder, dropping down into the darkness.

The multi-colored lights in the walls flared to life, most broken or dust-covered, none nearly as bright as they had once been long ago. Rock squinted against the new light for a moment until his eyes adjusted, eyes narrowing upon seeing what awaited him.

Metal Man and Ring Man stood still, Ring Man's arms crossed over his brown and blue chestplate and Metal Man's hands resting on his lithe hips. Their faces were hidden behind the facemasks of their helmets, but their eyes were visible, Ring Man's malachite green eyes aware, Metal Man's fire red eyes blank. Rock could not keep himself from blinking. He had never known Dr. Wily to cross the different armies. To be honest, he had expected a whole new army once again. Seeing two members of the second and fourth armies together was a strange, and almost unnerving, sight.

"So..." he spoke after a moment, wondering why neither one of the Robot Masters had moved, "I don't suppose you'll just tell me what you're doing here, will you?"

"Nope," Metal Man answered, still unmoving. From Metal Man, Rock expected the hesitation, just as Metal Man had hesitated and awaited the first attack around seven years past. Ring Man, however, Rock had expected to attack the second the blue robot had entered the room. He finally decided that thinking about it confused him too much. "Of course, you didn't really expect us to tell you willingly, did you?"

"Not really," Rock countered, "I just thought I'd ask."

"I suggest you leave now," Ring Man spoke, taking a step closer, "and let us get back to our business."

Rock shook his head, shifting his right hand into an arm cannon as he countered, "Your memory block must have been damaged when I last fought you, otherwise you'd remember." He began charging his cannon, and Ring Man and Metal Man slid down into their fighting stances. "I don't quit."

* * * * *

"Are you sure the water valves are closed?" I said into my communicator for probably the fifth time.

_ "Yes, I'm positive,"_ Crystal Man answered patiently, _"I know your armor isn't waterproof, so I turned off the water to that ring when we first agreed on this Fortress. So stop worrying."_ I sighed and shook my head. That was easy for him to say. After a nasty incident involving Bubble Man, Dive Man, and a water hose about three years ago, I had a severe case of hydrophobia. In my armor, my generator was open and it was _not_ waterproof. If my hands get wet while I'm in my armor, I'm screwed. If I use my weapon while my hands are wet, I risk my arms imploding. Guess what almost happened during that little "incident"? I think I had a good enough reason to be uneasy as I sat in the room of the third ring where Rock had fought Bubble Boy -- as the Voice "affectionately" called it -- so long ago. The room used to be filled with water, and still had a few stagnant puddles in the corners.

My hydrophobia really depends on the situation. I'm okay as long as I'm not in my armor and know that I won't be in danger if I get wet, so I'm able to take a shower without having a nervous breakdown. But if I'm in my armor and I'm anywhere where I might get soaked, I panic. Unlike Rock, I can't just hit a button or say something and instantly be out of my armor and in civilian clothes. Nope; I have to actually change by hand. I can recall my armor to go over my clothes, but not the other way around. Go figure.

_ "Ring Man and Metal Man just retreated,"_ Crystal Man spoke, making me jump. Jumpy? Me? _"Rock's headed your way."_

"Right," I answered, "I'm turning my communicator off now. You, Magnet Man, and Centaur Man get out of there."

_ "Centaur Man said he's staying behind to wipe out the cryptograms from the hard drives just in case Rock gets past you."_

"Okay. Elec Man out." Crystal Man probably tried to say something else, but the communicator was off before I gave him a chance. I needed to calm down. The sound of water dripping from the walls and ceiling and the thought that the valves might not be closed after all was sending me into nervous convulsions, my hands starting to shake. Damn it. Phobias suck.

_ ( Calm down. Leave this to me. )_

_ Huh? What are you talking about?_

_ ( Exactly what I said. Settle down and leave this to me. )_

I tried to say something, but couldn't as darkness suddenly surrounded me.

* * * * *

Rock found himself confused. Where was the water? He distinctly remembered this floor being filled with water all those years past. He shook his head and continued running, dismissing the thought with the answer of perhaps the valves were broken. His mind went back to the fight he had just come from. The fact that Metal Man and Ring Man had retreated disturbed him. Robot Masters were designed and programmed to fight to the "death", but Rock had only injured them.

Something else both confused and disturbed him. The bright red fluid that had all but gushed from their wounds had not been oil. Nor had it been any other fluid normally found in robots. In fact, Rock knew that the fluids had not been a part of them when he had first fought them so long ago. _It almost looked like human blood..._

His thoughts were broken when he reached the gate leading to the room where head fought the final robot of Dr. Wily's first army. He took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and entered.

The room was empty save for Rock, a stack of metallic crates, and an olive green form standing on top of the highest crate. The form was almost feline in appearance, olive green fur covering a lithe, muscular, cougar-like body, face pointed into the muzzle of a ferret, small, rounded ears alert. Its bushy, ferret-like tail swayed slowly behind it, bright white eyes clearly visible against the "mask" of darker green fur on its face. Lying on one of the bottom crates, eyes closed, was Elec Man, lying on his stomach, body limp and lifeless.

"E-Elec Man...?" Rock stammered, glancing back and forth between the fallen Robot Master and the strange creature atop the pile of crates. His gaze stopped on the creature. "What did you do to him?"

_ "We played King of the Mountain. He lost,"_ was the answer, _"And I believe it is time for you to leave, Light."_ Rock yelped and scrambled backwards as the creature unsheathed its claws and leaped at him, tackling him to the ground, large paws pinning his shoulders to the floor. Rock howled, trying to fire his arm cannon at the animal who all but grinned at him, white fangs bared as it locked Rock's blue-green eyes with its own. Rock ceased struggling, almost hypnotized by the creature's blank white eyes. _"You saw nothing,"_ the creature whispered to him, a deep purr rumbling in the back of its throat, _"You heard nothing. The Fortress was empty save for Elec Man, whom you defeated in battle. You especially did not see me."_ It tilted its head. _"Am I clear?"_ Rock nodded limply. _"Good. You may leave now."_

A panel in the floor opened, revealing the ladder to descend further into the Fortress. The beast grinned again and released Rock, leaping down the only exit and leaving the two robots alone.

Rock blinked blearily for a few moments, his mind clouded. For a moment, he barely recognized the room he was in, confused and disoriented. He slowly sat up, rationalizing as he realized where he was, trying to remember why he was there. His first glance around the room confused him, first thinking he was trying to defeat Dr. Wily the first time all over again. When his gaze fell on Elec Man's still form, he blinked, finally remembering what he had been sent to the Fortress to do.

_ But what happened...?_ Rock rubbed his face, trying to remember what had happened. He vaguely remembered going through the second ring, finding it empty, and descending down to the third. _That's right...and I fought Elec Man._ He nodded, looking back up to the still Robot Master. _Except for him, this place has been silent as a tomb..._ Rock shook his head again and glanced at the open, vertical shaft in the floor that lead down to the main control room as well as the area where he had fought Dr. Wily the very first time. _Might as well..._ He stood up, steps wobbling slightly from disorientation as he slowly and carefully made his way toward the shaft and descended down the ladder to finish exploring the Fortress.

* * * * *

"Damn," Centaur Man swore as he watched the small dot on the monitor in front of him disappear from the third ring of the Fortress, marking that Rock had defeated Elec Man. He sighed, switched screens, and began typing in the codes needed to delete all changes made to the hard drive. It took almost ten minutes, but he typed in the final code needed to enact the wipe, finger hovering over the 'enter' key to make the coding official.

Centaur Man blinked when he thought he saw something move behind him in the reflection of the monitor, but did not have time to react before something struck him at the base of his skull and he was surrounded by darkness.

His attacker pushed him out of the chair he had been resting in and deleted the coding he had typed into the computer, instead typing in a new set of codes.

** Block all outgoing communication signals**  
-- _Outgoing communication signals blocked_**  
** **Activate second ring defense system  
** **Mode: Berserker  
** **-- **_Activated | Defense Mode = Berserker_**  
** **Activate spike walls  
** --_ Activated | Walls closing_**  
** **Activate third ring defense system  
** **Mode: Berserker**  
--_ Activated | Defense Mode = Berserker_**  
** **Activate water system  
** **Room: Enforcer**  
-- _Robot Master found in Enforcer room. Open sewer valves in Enforcer room? Y/N_**  
** **Y**

* * * * *

"_SHIT_!!" Ring Man swore as he and Metal Man scrambled backwards. All of the gates in the area had closed without warning and the left wall had suddenly become littered with spikes, the sharp points sparking angrily as the spike-lined wall began to push inward.

"Centaur Man!" Metal Man barked into his communicator as he and Ring Man backed away from the approaching danger, "Centaur Man, what's going on?!"

"Centaur Man, what the hell are you _doing_?!" Ring Man yelled into his own communicator.

"He's not answering!" Metal Man growled, jumping slightly when his back touched the bare, opposite wall. His injured, left arm was covered in circulatory fluids as were Ring Man's injured legs, mere air setting his nerves on fire.

"No shit..." Ring Man snarled, switching his communicator to a different frequency, "Crystal Man! Do you copy?" Static was his only answer. "_Damn_ it..." he swore, glaring at the slowly-closing spiked wall. He knew from witnessing Metools and other minor robots slip on the edges of pits that the spikes were designed to stay razor sharp no matter how old they were, and that the electrical charge housed within them, if it penetrated his armor and skin, would cause a chain reaction and cause him to self-destruct. He had seen Junk Man succumb to the spikes once before, and had had nightmares of it for almost a week afterwards.

"Have you tried Elec Man?" Metal Man asked. He could already feel his mechanical heart pounding against his chest as artificial adrenaline coursed through his veins. The wall was moving at sluggish speed and was still at least twenty feet away, but there were no exits to the room -- not even a ventilation shaft in the wall they could climb into.

"He's got his communicator turned off," Ring Man hissed in response.

Metal Man paused for a moment before gulping quietly and asking, "There's no way to destroy those spikes, is there?"

"Not that I know of."

"Joy."

* * * * *

My shaking earlier at the mere sound of water dripping in the distance may have been pathetic, but my utter panicking right now probably looked really sad. But hey. I _did_ mention that I'm hydrophobic.

Water was pouring down from the two valves in the ceiling, rapidly flooding the floor. I had awakened from whatever the hell had knocked me out just in time to see the valves open and water pour from them like artificial waterfalls. Panic city.

"Damn it, damn it, _damn iiiit_," I kept muttering over and over again as I scrambled to the top of the stack of metal crates in the center of the room. My hands were shaking so much, I lost my grip on my communicator when I tried to turn it back on, and it went flying away, sinking into the water. I sure as hell wasn't going to go after it. The mere thought sent cold chills through me. My stomach twisted violently, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. If the water didn't get me, I'd die of a heart attack.

I'm not sure which death I preferred.

* * * * *

"Oh, crud. Ring Man, don't do this," Metal Man hissed, "It's not going to do any good. Don't _do_ this!"

"I can't _help_ it!" Ring Man managed to choke in response as he tried desperately to calm himself, his lungs threatening to make him hyperventilate. He pressed his back against the bare wall as tightly as he could as the spiked wall closed in, only three feet remaining between the sharp points and the Kaisers' chestplates.

Metal Man hissed and all but screamed into his communicator, "Centaur Man, are you there?!"

Ring Man's right hand lashed out, clutching Metal Man's left hand tightly, grip shaking. "I'm sorry I broke your flute two years ago," he stammered. Metal Man blinked at him, but returned the tight grip, squeezing Ring Man's hand in a vain attempt to reassure him.

"I'm sorry I smashed Kalinka's harp," the older Kaiser returned, "It was a stupid, inconsiderate attempt at revenge, and I'm sorry." Ring Man nodded, squeezing his eyes shut as the tips of the spikes closed in to only two feet.

* * * * *

I probably _really_ looked stupid, but at the moment I didn't care as I huddled up on top of the tallest stack of crates in the room which rested in one of the corners. The water was engulfing the top crate in the center stack, and I was shaking so bad I couldn't even stand up anymore. Believe me; you've never known true fear until you've been surrounded by your worst phobia and knew that you were going to die from it. I hated it. I hated feeling so helpless, but there was nothing I could do about it. The only exit to the room was sealed. And it was under the water, anyway. The gate was one-way -- it could only be opened from the outside. I briefly wondered if Rock had snuck past me while I was unconscious and did this.

But as the water finally submerged the center stack of crates and started on the crates just under the one I was cowering on, I decided I didn't care.

* * * * *

Centaur Man groaned, pushing himself to his knees as he rubbed the back of his neck, cringing. What had hit him? He vaguely remembered seeing something move behind him in the reflection of the monitor, but he had been knocked unconscious before he could do anything about it, before he could even turn around.

He glanced around the room, blinking upon seeing Magnet Man lying on the floor across the room, unconscious. _I thought he went with Crystal Man..._ Centaur Man shook his head. There was no one else in the room. _I must have taken too long to type in the codes...though I didn't think it was Rock's style to sneak up behind you..._ He shook his head again, dragging himself into his chair and looking up at the monitor.

"...what the-?!" he yelped upon seeing that the defense systems of the second and third rings of the Fortress were activated and at their highest security level, the third floor's Enforcer room being flooded with water, and the second floor's spike walls closing. "B-But..." he stammered, coherent thought trying to win over the initial shock, "Elec Man, Ring Man, and Metal Man are still on those floors..." Centaur Man practically slapped himself and quickly typed in the cancellation codes, hoping he was not too late.

* * * * *

Hydraulics groaned and gears _whirr_ed noisily before the spike-lined wall ceased moving, the tips of the spikes ceasing their angry sparking. Ring Man and Metal Man slowly cracked open their eyes and stared at the wall, almost disbelieving. It had ceased moving, stopping just over seven inches from contact.

Metal Man released a breath he could not remember holding, tension causing his legs to quake. "C...Centaur Man...?" he whispered, voice shaking as if he was afraid his voice would cause the walls to finish closing, "C-Centaur...M-Man...is that y-you...?"

With a loud hiss of hydraulics, the spikes disappeared into the wall which began sliding backwards, away from the trembling Kaisers who dropped to their knees as their quivering legs finally gave out underneath them. Metal Man shakily took his helmet off, rubbing his face. Ring Man threw his helmet away and threw up, whimpering. Metal Man crawled over to the younger Kaiser and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to which the Russian robot responded by clinging to his elder, hiding his face in the bend of Metal Man's neck and sobbing, ignoring the persistent and eventual cutting by the sawblades on Metal Man's shoulders, ignoring the sharp teeth of the sawblades as they dug into his artificial flesh and drew blood. Metal Man raised a trembling hand to rest behind Ring Man's head, tangling his fingers in the younger Kaiser's soft brown hair.

A faint laugh resounded in the back of Metal Man's mind, and the red Robot Master hid his face in Ring Man's shoulder, taking his turn to let the relief wash over him and let the tears escape.

* * * * *

I couldn't move, my joints refusing to budge, my heart threatening to tear out of my chest. The water had stopped, the edge of the crystal clear depths just two inches from submerging the crate I was sitting on, curled up into a fetal position and lodged tightly into the corner.

Phobias suck.

I could see my communicator down at the bottom of the "pool", a small light flashing, signaling that someone was trying to contact me. Despite how far away it was -- and the fact that it was beyond submerged -- I could still hear it. Barely, but I could.

_ "Elec Man?!"_ Centaur Man's voice was saying, fading in and out. My communicator wasn't supposed to be underwater, you understand, so it wasn't waterproof _( Like you )_. _"Are y...okay? I'm...nding Crystal M...to get yo...t of there...Just hang on, El...Man!"_

Okay. Someone was coming to take me out of here. Everything would be okay then.

A drop of water fell from the closed valve in the ceiling, making a loud splash and almost making me scream.

Phobias _really_ suck.

* * * * *

"Are you guys okay?!" Centaur Man howled, stumbling over to the two trembling Kaisers, holding onto the wall to prevent from falling when his legs ceased cooperating. Magnet Man stood behind Ring Man, gently rubbing his arms while Metal Man's legs gave out underneath him, dumping him into a chair. Centaur Man gripped Metal Man's arms. "Are you okay...?"

"I will be..." was the shaky response. Centaur Man looked at Ring Man who just nodded before turning around and hiding his face in Magnet Man's chestplate, shivering in the elder Kaiser's embrace.

"God, I don't know _what_ the shit happened," Centaur Man sighed, rubbing his face, "I was hit from behind, and when I woke up..." He trailed off, gaze fixed onto the floor.

"It was Rock," Magnet Man spoke, "I saw him type in the codes. I tried to stop him, but..."

"What were you doing here, anyway?" Metal Man asked, "You were supposed to be with Crystal Man back at Wily's Fortress."

"I came back to make sure Centaur Man got out okay," was the monotone answer, "Since he still stumbles a lot." He left the subject there, concentrating on rubbing tension out of Ring Man's trembling shoulders.

Metal Man looked down at the floor, then abruptly glanced back up, looking to Centaur Man and demanding, "What about Elec Man?"

"Crystal Man's finding a way to get him out," Centaur Man answered.

"Correction, he's in the medical bay," Crystal Man spoke as he entered the room, brushing back his dark blue hair. "I'm glad I was able to swipe that medical equipment from the Tokyo hospital. It's going to prove quite useful even though it's made for humans."

Metal Man did not seem to hear the last comment as he forced himself to his feet and left the room.

* * * * *

_( Maybe you should take that off now... )_

_ I'll take it off when I'm good and ready_, I countered heatedly even though the room was starting to look rather psychedelic. I'd always wondered if too much oxygen would make us go dizzy like it did humans. I wasn't dizzy, but colors were starting to look rather...off. Reds looked pink, yellows looked orange, and blacks almost glowed. Crystal Man had shoved the oxygen mask at me when he dragged me to the medical bay after rescuing me from the flooded Enforcer room. He and Ring Man had both studied medical and theraputical practices in what little spare time they'd had for the past week or so, so I trusted his assumption that a few minutes on oxygen would help calm me down.

_ ( Dude, you're starting to sound like you're on drugs. )_

Okay, that was a sign that I'd been using it too long -- especially since the walls looked like they were breathing. I took the mask away from my face and turned off the oxygen tank, rubbing my eyes in an attempt to get the world to look normal again. The "medical bay" was really just a large room we had turned into a type of field hospital with the medical equipment Crystal Man had insisted upon stealing from the Tokyo hospital. If I didn't mention that before, it was because I forgot.

_ ( Or you were high off oxygen. )_

_ That's enough out of you._

"Elec Man?"

I looked up just as Metal Man walked into the room. His steps were shaky, and he kept one hand out to grab something if he stumbled. Apparently I wasn't the only one who just had a near death experience. His pale skin was even paler than usual -- something I'd never thought was possible -- and his eyes...those gorgeous, red eyes were wide, pupils large. His bright, fire-colored eyes were filled with near-trauma. What had happened to him and Ring Man while I had been trapped?

"Elec Man?" he repeated. I blinked, realizing that I'd been staring at his eyes again. I really needed to stop doing that. "Are you okay? Centaur Man told us what happened to you."

I nodded, answering, "Yeah, I'll be fine...what happened to you and Ring Man?" He explained everything that had happened, from the fight between them and Rock to the spike-walls to Magnet Man's explanation. It didn't help the large lump of worry in my stomach any, to say the least.

"But," he continued, "Centaur Man said that all of the cryptograms are still in tact. He was ambushed before he could delete them, so we don't have to do any of that over again."

"There's a plus, at least..." I muttered, crossing my arms and looking down at the floor, "But I just don't get it...this isn't like Rock...he doesn't do anything this...well...sneaky."

Metal Man shrugged. "He did this time, apparently...Magnet Man says he saw Rock hit Centaur Man and execute the commands that flooded your room and nearly skewered me and Ring Man." I shook my head. It just didn't make sense. Metal Man, sensing my reluctance on the topic, changed the subject, "We have everything we need to attack, Elec Man. We just need your command."

My command...well, I _was _sort of the unofficial leader of the Kaisers, much to my dismay. I brought them all together and convinced them that the war had gone on far enough and that Wily was wrong. So I guess they did have a good reason to look to me as their leader. That doesn't mean that I like it, though.

"I'm not giving the command just yet..." I finally answered with a small sigh, "We need to get our bearings straight again. You, Ring Man, and I all need to recover from what happened today." He nodded.

After a moment, he looked up and stated, "Earlier, Ring Man and I noticed that there's a carnival of sorts going on in the city this week. Ring Man suggested that it might be a good place to relax for a day if we ever got the chance before it left." I couldn't help but blink. It was a sudden statement, but novel. And a good idea. We all looked human enough -- with the possible exception of Crystal Man, but that could be passed off as weird makeup -- so we could blend in almost perfectly, and it _would_ be a good place to ease tension. And besides, I'd never been to a carnival before.

_ ( Can we go? Can weee? )_

Why not?


End file.
